Burning Hearts of Fairies
by Jacob Pendra-Huth
Summary: The story surrounds itself around the story of Fairy Tail, where four individuals from the western continent in order to seek out the man named Salamander. Palva, Dori, Leon and Pastry all meet up with the man in order to help Palva, who possesses uncontrollable flames inside of her, while they will find answers they seek, and a place where they belong.
1. Burning Unions

**Hi there, folks! It's been ages since you heard from me, right? Well, I've been taking a break from my SAK series for a long time, cause I kinda hit a point where I just can't fully concentrate on doing it. Instead, I've been helping out with my buddy, Coral the Leviathan, in co-writing her series 'Huntsmen in Kalos', as well as helping her in parts of the the series 'SCP: Soaring to the Sky'. I have an OC in each of those stories, and they are fun-loving stories. If you're interested in a RWBY/Pokémon crossover, or a One Piece/Kingdom Hearts crossover, these respective stories contain those crossover styles.**

 **But back to this story, which I was inspired from another good friend of mine, InsaneDominator, and his series 'The Fairy Contender' and the sequel 'A Contender's Bonds'. They are a Fairy Tail/Pokémon crossover, and a great read for those who love action, intense story plot, and a good OC/Erza romance. Anyways, after reading his series for so long, I decided to give it a try, and create my own Fairy Tail story. It's basically the same, but with new OC characters of my own design. The story will have many twists and turns, and I hope this first chapter will be a successful read to you guys. Please enjoy this story!**

 _"As a sister, it is my duty to protect my sibling from all sorts of danger. But considering she is in constant danger, I always have to protect her, and make sure she is safe, and to keep trying to seek out a place that's right for us. I do love her, and I don't want to leave her until she is safe. But sometimes, I feel like it's the only thing I have done since she was born. I wish there was more for me out there than just this. I wish there were more people I could bond with who didn't fear my sister. All I want is a place for me and my sibling to belong to…"_

 _"My memories are fragmented and broken. Parts of my past are forgotten, and I feel they are extremely important to me. I want to know more about who I was in the past, and to piece together who I am now with them. I want to see if I am suppose to be who I am, or am I just fooling myself. But the more I try to remember, the more something inside of me begs to forget what has been forgotten. Why? Am I scared of something I don't know about? How do I know I can conquer it if I don't even know what it is I am suppose to conquer? I wish I knew what it was…_

 _"I don't know when I got it…perhaps I was just born with it. But these flames have been with me for as long as I can remember. They are a gift, but they've been mainly a curse. People treated me like a monster, all because this power is beyond my own control. I wish…I wish I was free of the curse of flames. They burn so hot inside me. I want to be free from this curse, and let these flames burn me no more. You are my only hope, so save me…Salamander…"_

These three thoughts will tell you the tale that weaves three people's stories into a another tale. One of a certain guild that rises above all others. These three will soon take part in this guild's tale, bringing with it their own stories of discovery, of belonging, and of hearts burning with hope.

* * *

 **Port Hargeon**

Inside one of the town's pub, the Rusty Wand, there were many kinds of folks who came and went about their business, whether it was busying talking about today's topics, looking at the ladies at Sorcerer Weekly, or just plain drinking and snacking.

Sitting at the bar, talking to the barkeeper, was a young lady, about 16 years old. She had magenta eyes and long hair of the same color that frayed upwards to her left side of her forehead, and tied with a pink ribbon near the bottom, just enough for a tuft of her long hair to stick out at the end. She had silky skin and a well-endowed figure that could make many young women jealous.

She wore a pink and white-trimmed top, which hugged her chest tight, showing the words 'Heart' in black cursive. She had black leather shorts with leather padding at her waist, the same color coordination as her top, and a brown leather belt with a silver buckle. She wore purple stockings, the right stocking higher than the other, and pink high-heeled boots. She also had black leather sleeves, going underneath her fingerless, brown leather gloves. Attached to a belt on her right thigh was black and silver foldable crossbow, with pink horn-like crystals attached.

"So let me get this straight." she summed up, "This Salamander was here some time ago, and you said he practically torched half the port while beating up one guy?"

"Yep. Crazy guy, that Salamander." the barkeeper stated, cleaning a glass, "The Magic Council's been flipping a bit about the amount of damage he did to Hargeon."

The girl took a sip of soda from her glass, then placed it back down again, sighing. "Well, that explains the buildings in repair and the scorch marks I saw across town." she stated, "Tell me, is there anything else you can tell me? Where would I find this Salamander?"

"Well, from what I know, the guy is from that famous mage guild named Fairy Tail." the barkeeper explained, placing down the glass, "They're practically a wild bunch of mages who are well known for causing damage as much as fixing it. But that's just my opinion."

"I see…" the girl stated, emptying her drink and placing down some bills, "Well, thanks for all the info, sir. Now I just need to know where this Fairy Tail guild is at."

She stood up and walked away as the barkeeper stated, "The guild's in Magnolia, but by the looks of it, you ain't from around here. You sure you'll be okay?"

The girl stopped and turned to the barkeeper with a plain look. She then smiled assuringly as she stated, "I gotta, or I'll never help my little sister."

* * *

Outside the bar, sitting on one of the benches, was another young girl, about 13 years old. She hid most of her appearance under a brown cloak and hood, but her face was revealed to show magenta eyes and short pink, ruffled hair that fanned outward. She was sipping her own drink through a straw, while holding a lance in her legs, which had a red handle with a white band spiraling up it, a golden bottom piece to it, and a head that looked like a red and yellow dragon wing, and a curved blade that looked like a monster claw. Next to her were two traveler's bags, one brown and one dark pink.

She sucked any last bits of her drink through her straw, and set the glass down, sighing in relief. Her legs pulled apart slightly, and the lance almost fell down, had she not shot out a red, gloved hand, catching it. "That was close." she stated, sighing in relief.

Just then, she heard the doors open up, and the other girl came out. The younger girl stood up and asked, "So, Dori. Did you find anything?"

The teen girl, Dori, turned and answered, "We got plenty. Apparently, the Salamander guy is part of a popular guild in the town of Magnolia. Guess that means we need directions to get there."

The younger girl looked down, nervously. "Great…he had to have been in a guild." she sighed. "I know you hate going into guilds, but this guy is your last hope, right?" Dori asked, kneeling down slightly and placing a reassuring hand on her sister's shoulder, "Besides, maybe the guild isn't so bad. Trust me, he will help you."

The younger sister looked to one side. Their group had been traveling a long ways away, from the western continent of Alakitasia, to the Kingdom of Fiore, with one goal in mind: Find the man people called Salamander, and see if his flames were the ones they were looking for.

"Speaking of which, do you know where Leon and Pastry are?" Dori questioned, looking about. "From what I heard, he went up to the blacksmith shop further up the road." the young girl answered, "He said they held some magic equipment and weapons."

"Just like him." Dori chuckled, raising up and folding her arms underneath her chest, "The guy likes to make sure he's ready for anything. Come on, let's go get those two." The young girl nodded, and they walked up the road together.

* * *

In the said blacksmith shop, the Iron Keep, the inside had plenty of weapons and armor to sell. Examining a mace in his hands was the man, Leon. He was tall, with a lean muscular figure. He had red eyes and blue, short damp-spiky hair, with a white tuft on his forehead.

He wore a blue and white, long-sleeved shirt over an open, long blue overcoat with black trimming, with white crosses on the bottom of each side. He had on long blue jeans, held by a tied up leather belt, and wore brown boots with silver soles. He wore a long black belt that crossed at his waist, holding the overcoat tight, and wore blue, fingerless gloves. He also carried a massive two-handed sword on his back, and his large, black backpack was resting on the wall nearby.

"Are you sure you're the best blacksmith in town?" Leon asked, looking at the said blacksmith, "Cause none of these weapons have much magic to them."

"Well, that's just what I got, sir." the bearded owner answered, "We ain't got a lot of wizards around here, so I make up for what I can. If you want to look for some powerful magic weapons and armor pieces, I do have a selection in the corner over there. They do cost a pretty penny."

Leon walked towards the corner he was presented to, passing by his ally, Pastry, sitting on a small chair. He looked like a ginger cat, but there was something about his spiky fur on his back that was like a hedgehogs quills. He had a cat-like tail with a white tuft on the end, and he was eating a raw fish.

"By the way, I hope you aren't keeping your animal here for too long." the blacksmith hoped, "I don't want it messing up the shop." "Hey! I happen to be a good cat, okay?!" barked Pastry, "I don't damage stuff unless I mean it!"

"Easy, Pastry. He didn't mean anything by it." Leon assured him, examining the shelves and walls of weapons and armor. He then noticed a shoulder piece of armor that looked like it had red lachryma crystals embedded into it. "What's this?" he questioned, taking the armor piece.

"Ah! That's the Frostburn Guard." the blacksmith explained, "Those lachryma are Fire-based, and using your magic, you can produce a descent shoulder guard against fire or ice magic."

"That does seem useful." Leon stated, "Maybe I should take a note on that. Never though about your shoulders needing that much protection. Well, then again, if you lose the feel of your weapon arm, you're basically screwed. So how much is it?" He looked at the price on the wall. 7,500 jewels.

"Dang, that's pretty darn pricy." Leon muttered. "You shouldn't spend too much, Leon." Pastry warned him, "If Dori realizes you spent that much on something that isn't essential, She will pummel you."

"I know…" he muttered, then turning to the blacksmith, he asked, "Hey, is there any way of reducing the price on this to, say, 5,000 jewels?"

"What?! But that's practically taking a third out of the cost!" the blacksmith barked, "I ain't someone who bargains for something THAT low!"

Leon glared straight into the man's eyes, and he stopped. The blacksmith could feel the intensity of the gaze he was given. It was terrifying, to say the least. He had a look that showed he could kill him in a nanosecond, and wouldn't think about it afterwards. He felt like he shouldn't argue with the guy's choices.

"Leon, stop intimidating the poor shop owner." said a voice. Dori walked in with her little sister.

"Dori! Palva!" Pastry greeted them, sprouting wings and flying into Dori's arms, holding him close to her chest.

"I thought you were keeping an eye on Leon, making sure he doesn't cause others to fear him." the girl named Palva told Pastry.

"He was only just doing it." Pastry explained, "I was gonna butt in, but…" "You were scared of him again, weren't you?" Dori questioned, "I told you, no looking him in the eye. That's how he scares you." Pastry whimpered.

Leon calmed down and turned to the two as the blacksmith owner was petrified by his intimidation. "Sorry for all the troubles!" Dori apologized, grabbing Leon by his arm and pulling him away and out the door.

Once they were out and walking, Pastry explained why Leon was giving the glare."I can't believe you were trying to intimidate the guy for a discount." Dori started, "Seriously, you could easily make an armor piece like that for HALF the price of material."

"I just wanted to get it to see how it worked." Leon noted, "Maybe I can approve on it. Make it better and produce a stronger barrier against stronger attacks."

"Yeah, well just don't give off the bad impression." the magenta girl sighed, "We just arrived at this continent today, so we shouldn't become infamous." "Yeah, yeah. I know." Leon sighed.

Pastry hopped out of Dori's hands and on top of Palva's head, asking, "So, you doing okay?" "I guess." Palva answered, "Sis found some info on where the Salamander is at."  
"That's great news!" Pastry cheered, "Soon, you will be the master of those flames. Nothing's gonna control you!" "Let's hope so." Palva sighed, showing off a slight smile to him.

* * *

About the same time as they were doing this, a certain trio was arriving in the port town. One of them was a young man with pink spiky hair and a lean, muscular figure. He had on a black and gold-trimmed open waistcoat, exposing his bare chest, a cloth piece of the same color around his waist that reached his knees, a brown belt with a silver buckle, white-knee length trousers with black ribbons at the thighs, black sandals and a scale-patterned scarf around his neck. He also had a rolled up bag on his back, and a bird-like tattoo on his right shoulder.

The second was a young girl with brown eyes and blonde hair that reached her shoulders, tied by a red ribbon, and she had a well-endowed figure just as amazing as Dori's. She wore an orange and pale yellow dress, a short blue skirt with a brown belt and silver buckle, and deep red sandals. She also had a satchel with some gold and silver keys attached, a silver pendant with a blue jewel, and a pink tattoo like the young man's on the back of her left hand.

The third character was a blue cat like Pastry, only with no quills on is back, but he did have a green sack on his back, hiding a mark like the other two. Respectively, the trio's name was Natsu, Lucy and Happy.

"Wow, this is nostalgic!" Lucy stated, peering out into the harbor, "This is where we all first met, you know?"

"Nostalgic?" Natsu questioned, "It hasn't really been that long." "You sound like an old lady." Happy snorted, hiding his laughter as Lucy gave him a glare.

"Okay, first thing is to find a ship to take us to Galuna Island." Lucy started, walking towards the port. This made Natsu panic at the thought of taking a boat.

"No way! Not a chance!" Natsu cried out, "We're swimming, all right?!" "That's even less of a chance." Lucy sighed, finding Natsu's suggestion impossible to accomplish.

Just then, the trio heard someone bark in the distance, "Hey! I'm talking you you guys!" They turned at the sound of the threatening tone, seeing a group of guys and a few girls surrounding a certain group.

"What's up with them?" Lucy questioned. "Looks like those guys got a bone to pick with those people." Happy assumed.

"Well, this might be a good warm-up before we swim there." Natsu stated, grinning as he cracked his fists at the ready. "You're serious about that?!" Lucy barked incredulously.

Within the imposing gang, Leon and Dori were surrounding Pastry and Palva as they matched glares with their surrounding opposers.

"Look, we don't want any trouble, so would you let us be on our way?" Dori questioned in a serious tone.

"Hey, we don't like to cause problems, ourselves." One of the guys answered, "But we have a rule for first-timers in this here port; pay our toll, and you can be on your merry little way!" "First I've heard of it." Leon stated blandly.

Palva looked at the surrounding gang. She counted maybe thirty of them, and they all had weapons of sorts on them, mainly pipes or maces. They didn't seem totally tough to her, so she wanted to not do anything, but allow Dori and Leon to take control of the situation.

"I already warned you once, bub!" the gang leader barked, "You pay the toll, or we will take it from you. Which is it gonna be?"

Leon and Dori looked to one another, nodding in understanding, then Leon said calmly, "I don't think we have a choice, do we?" His hand went for his pocket, where his wallet was at, but he then swiftly reached to the handle of his sword behind him, and in an instant, drew it out and swung it strongly, sending several guys flying in a single strike.

The other gang members were in shock at the sudden attack, then growled as he shouted, "You'll pay for that! Get 'em!" He and the others charged at the attacking group, ready to force the money out of them. Boy, were they not ready to deal with them in the slightest.

Dori and Leon moved away from Palva as she made a tremendous leap, soaring high about the charging gang, who were shocked by this incredible jump, landing a good distance away. In their distraction, they failed to notice Leon unleash a slash from his large blade, sending them flying all about, slamming into garbage heaps and buildings. A couple guys tried attacking him from behind, but he turned with a boot to one of their chests, knocking one into the other and sending them on their backs. "Not even worth it." he muttered.

Meanwhile, Dori was easily avoiding the slices and strikes from the guys's weapons about her. She then leapt up and pulled out her crossbow. She aimed as a magic circle appeared in front and shot multiple crystal arrows down at the group, hitting them and causing damage to all guys in range. She landed just as a guy tried to come at her with a raised blade, but she touched the ground, and something tripped up the man, causing him to fall. He grimaced as he looked up, seeing the crossbow pointed at his face, and paled. "You know what's good for you, don't you?" she questioned menacingly.

The remaining gang members saw the two too much of a threat, and went for Palva and Pastry instead, hoping to find them easier targets. This was a mistake on their end.

"I got 'em!" Pastry barked, leaping up and rolling into a ball, producing his wings as he did so. He then launched himself at three of the guys's heads, knocking them out before recovering in the air. He turned to see Palva was in danger, but knew she could handle it herself.

The first one to get close to her tried hammering a pipe down at her, but was blocked by her raised lance. He tried to push down on her as two more guys leapt up with overhead slashes, but Palva jumped high, making the first man stumble and look up to see Palva shed off her cloak, revealing her petite figure, a black and red-trimmed jacket, a red skirt with black leggings underneath, red and white shoes with silver soles, and red gloves.

"If you want to challenge me, then I'll accept it." Palva warned them, "But don't say I didn't warn you!" She dove down head first, then spun until her feet were raised in front of her, planting them hard on the first guy's face and sending him crashing into the ground.

As she recoiled off of the guy, the other two tried attack her with their blades. Palva placed her boots on one of the swung blades to add a foot hold, then flipped backwards and spun into a spin kick that sent him flying into the other one. She landed neatly on the ground as the two crashed into a pile of crates.

"You think you're so cocky, don't you?!" barked the leader in front of her, "Well, guess what?! I don't give a crap, cause I use magic!" He summoned a red magic circle, sending a stream of flames at Palva, who seemed a bit surprised before they exploded on impact.

Down below, Natsu, Lucy and Happy were startled at the magic attack making contact. "Crap! That guy's a mage!" Happy gasped. "Hey, cheap shot! You play dirty!" Natsu barked, growling as he took a few steps forward to punish the guy. However, he stopped as he felt an odd sensation. A feeling that was extremely familiar to him. The girl in the flames was doing something that he was able to do, but in a different way.

The mage leader cackled at his accomplishment as he barked, "Guess you shouldn't play with fire, kiddo! Or else you'll get-." "Burned?" Palva's voice questioned, stopping the man's laughter. He looked in shock as the flames were suddenly diminishing. Rather, they were being absorbed into the young girl's staff, swirling around it before entering into Palva's body, which was unscathed from the attack. "I think it's you who should not mess with me." Palva growled, causing the man to look terrified at this.

She bent down as a magic circle appeared at her feet, and she leapt forward, breaking the ground, with one of her feet igniting in flames. " **Fire Dragon's Talon!** " she roared, and she struck the guy hard in the gut, sending him rocketing into several of the rising gang members, colliding with them and causing them to fall over.

Dori and Leon watched as the guys rose up, terrified at the sight of Palva's foot in flames, giving a clare with pupils similar to that of a monster's. A dragon's eyes. "H-Holy crap!" "The girl's a mage, too?!" "That attack knocked out the leader!" The gang members were in shock at what had happened to their boss. Carrying him, they ran away in panic as they knew they were completely outclassed in every way, leaving the four fighters remaining.

Natsu could only stand there, in total shock. The move she used was the exact same as the one he could use. But that meant something unpredictable had just happened.

"That girl…used fire magic like Natsu's!" Lucy gasped. "Yeah! That's one of Natsu's attacks!" Happy exclaimed, "But how could she use it, too?!"

Natsu watched, his expression unchanged, as Leon, Dori and Pastry joined Palva's side, questioning if she was okay, to which she responded she was fine. _She's a Fire Dragon Slayer, just like me!_ he realized.

"You sure you're okay, Palva?" Dori questioned her little sister. "I'm telling you, I'm fine." She reassured her sister, raising her lance, "Look, I have my weapon on me, so I'm fine." "Well, if you say so." Dori sighed in relief.

"Trust me, she's fine." Pastry assured the older sibling, "Geez, you're such a worrywart, Dori." "You know just as much as I do why!" Dori retaliated.

As the two argued, Palva's nostrils flared up, sniffing something out. "What is it?" Leon questioned. "I smell flames…" she answered, "Magical ones…like mine…" Dori and Pastry stopped bickering, watching Palva as she turned to the direction of the smell. She saw Natsu standing there, watching her questionably. There was a moment's pause as she examined him from afar, then without a word, she left her group to approach the pink-haired male.

As soon as she got close, she started to sniff at Natsu from all about, like a dog meeting a new animal. Natsu watched her, very confused at her behavior.

"Uh, what is she doing?" Lucy questioned with a sweat-dropped expression. "Maybe Natsu's has a funny smell on him." Happy suggested, shrugging a bit, "I knew he didn't bathe this morning, but I didn't expect him to draw that much attention." "I don't think that's it, but 'ew' all the same." the blonde girl muttered.

After a few seconds, Palva looked up at Natsu's face, then asked, "You. Why do your flames smell like mine?" "I was gonna ask how you know how to use Dragon Slayer magic?" Natsu retaliated, poking at her head, "And more importantly, where did you learn it?"

"I didn't learn it. I was born with it." Palva explained, "The way you phrase it, it sounds like you know about it pretty well." "Because I'm a Dragon Slayer, too." Natsu stated, acting like it was obvious.

This bit of news startled Palva's team behind her as the said young teen started to put the pieces together. "Hold on. Does that mean you're…that Salamander guy?" she asked. "Yep. That's me." Natsu answered. Palva was stunned at the sheer coincidence of the meeting.

"No way! You're Salamander?!" Dori questioned, rushing up to him, with the rest of both parties joining them, too.

"How ironic. We were just going to Magnolia to find you." Pastry stated, flying onto Palva's head, "Guess that saves the trip of going there."

"Woah! Another talking cat!" Natsu exclaimed, "Why're you copying Happy, you copycat?!" "I'm not copying anyone!" Pastry barked back angrily.

"Wow. I didn't know there were other cats like me out there." Happy noticed, producing his wings and flying up to Pastry. "I've seen a few like me. Though you don't seem to have any quills on you, like I do." Pastry noticed, "But you are blue, so I guess that makes up for the normal factor."

"Are you saying I'm weird?!" Happy questioned angrily. "Maaaaybe." Pastry answered, looking away.

"Now, now." Dori stopped them as Leon grabbed Pastry and pulled him away, "Before we start causing arguments, we should probably introduce ourselves to one another. Let me start; I'm Dori Himeka. This is my little sister, Palva. This is our guardian, Leon Daywing, and his friend, Pastry."

"That's a yummy name." Happy told Pastry. "Well, I do love my sweets. Especially blueberry tarts." the ginger cat responded, drooling at the idea of the said sweet.

"Never mind that. Did you say you two are sisters?" Lucy asked Dori and Palva. "Yep. That's right." Palva answered.

"Does that mean you can use Dragon Slayer magic, too?!" Natsu asked Dori. "No. I don't possess the ability to use it." the older sister answered, "Like Palva said, she was born with the power. Even she doesn't know how she can use it." Natsu looked confused as he turned to Palva, who looked away from him, with a sort of depressed look on her face.

Natsu wondered why she was looking so sad, but decided to ignore it for now. "Well, anyways, my name is Natsu Dragneel. I'm a Fairy Tail mage. This is my best buddy Happy, and this here is Luffy." "It's LUCY!" barked the angry blonde. "Chill out, I'm just joking." Natsu chuckled.

"So why are you guys here at this port instead of the guild?" Leon questioned, "You guys on a mission or something?"

Natsu grinned confidently as he answered, "You bet we are. We're going on an S-class mission." "Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

"S-class?" Palva questioned. "You guys are S-class wizards?" Dori asked, looking at their group in disbelief.

"Well, not exactly…" Lucy muttered. "Who cares?! We have what it takes to become S-rank, so we're gonna prove it everyone we can complete one, no problem!" Natsu declared. "Aye!" Happy agreed.

"I see. In other words, you guys are breaking the rules, taking an S-class mission despite not being S-class mages." Leon summed up. Natsu saw he was caught off guard, but was unable to deny what he said.

"W-Well, we still need to find a boat to Galuna Island." Lucy stammered, trying to keep herself from second-guessing her decision by mentally reminding herself what reward was shown on the flier. She turned and left, while Natsu watched her leave with a nervous expression after hearing the word 'boat'.

"Aren't you guys going?" Pastry questioned the two. "R-Right." Natsu moaned, turning to Palva, "See you around, short stuff. Wish I had time to chat, but we gotta mission to accomplish. Let's go, Happy!" "Aye, sir!" Happy agreed, and they set off together.

"Why did he look sick all of a sudden there?" Leon questioned. "Could it be…that he's like Palva when it comes to modes of transportation?" Dori assumed, looking at Palva as she watched the fellow Dragon Slayer leave.

"Well, what do you plan on doing?" Pastry asked Palva, "We did come all this way to find him." Palva looked at her staff, thinking to herself. While she hated to go on another boat after the very long ride before, she didn't come all this way just to meet the Salamander and wait for him again. She had to follow him now, before she lost him again.

"Hey, Salamander!" Palva barked. Natsu stopped and turned back, along with Lucy and Happy. "We're comin' with ya!" she declared, marching towards the Dragon Slayer. Dori, Leon and Pastry were all startled at this, as was Lucy and Happy for that manner.

"Why the heck would I let you come with me?" Natsu questioned, "We're on Fairy Tail business. It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"I don't care." Palva retorted almost immediately, "We came all this way to find you so you can help me, and I'm not gonna let some dumb 'business' or boat get in the way of that! You don't realize how important this is!"

Natsu looked at Palva's face, and was surprised to see the expression of sheer desperation she showed. She said she needed his help, but with what? She was a Fire Dragon Slayer like him, so what could she need help with? Nevertheless, this was important to her, and he couldn't say no to the expression she was giving.

Natsu patted her on the head, giving her a reassuring smile as he said, "Okay, then. As long as you don't get in the way, you and your buddies can come with us."

Palva's expression softened, then she sighed in relief. "Thank you." she thanked him. Natsu grinned at how despite that she didn't smile, she seemed very grateful for coming along.

"Well, we should've seen that one coming." Leon sighed. "We've come a long ways for this. I know she wants to be rid of this curse." Dori stated, walking forward, "Come on, guys. Let's see if this Natsu guy can help her." They all agreed, and they followed Natsu over to Lucy and Happy, who were bewildered by the sudden growth of their team for the mission, but didn't decline it.

* * *

They went to the port and started asking sailors and fishermen if they could take them to Galuna Island. However, all the responses they got had one thing in common; They were all too afraid of even speaking about the island, let alone take them to it. No matter who they asked, they all declined harshly on the offer.

The last man they went to had a beanie and cloak covering his entire body. "I don't know why you want to go there, but there isn't any ship here that'll take you. Even pirates avoid it." he told them. "Tell us something we don't know." Pastry sassed.

"Are you serious?!" Lucy questioned, worried of ever finding a ride to the island. "Don't know how you guys'll get there, now." Dori stated.

"It's decided! We're swimming!" Natsu said eagerly, getting an 'aye' of agreement from Happy. "Not a bad idea." Palva agreed.

"I told you, it's impossible!" Lucy barked. "I dunno. If you give yourself a good stretch before you swim, it could work." Leon retorted, stretching his legs as he said so. "Are you nuts, too?!" Lucy questioned incredulously.

"Found you." said a voice from behind. Natsu, Lucy and Happy were startled by the appearance of a character behind them, who durned out to be a black-haired young man around the same age as Natsu, with a dark green shirt, black pants, shoes, a silver wristband, and a black bag saddled across his shoulder.

"Gray?!" Lucy squealed. "What are you doing here?!" Natsu questioned. "Orders from Gramps to bring you back." the man called Gray answered. "The jig's up already?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"A friend of yours from your guild?" Dori asked Lucy. "Sort of…" she answered, hearing Gray mention to Natsu the words 'expelled from the guild', and became afraid.

"As if! I'm going on an S-class mission!" Natsu barked at Gray. "You ain't got the skills to handle it!" Gray argued back, then he looked fearful as he added, "Besides, if Erza finds out about this, you'll…" The other three looked too scared to think about it.

 _Erza?_ Leon questioned, pondering on the name, Why does that sound familiar? Pastry, on the other hand, looked very scared at the thought. He knew that name as well, but the thought of the name brought fear. Only Dori and Palva were clueless to the fear this woman's name brought.

"Gray, save me!" Happy begged, clinging onto Gray's shoulder, "Those two forced me to come along with them!" "You traitor!" Lucy barked at the fearful cat.

"I'm gonna face Erza down!" Natsu growled, "I'm not gonna back down from this!" "This is a direct order from the master!" Gray retaliated, getting in Natsu's face, "I'm gonna bring you back by force if I have to!"

Suddenly, Gray pulled back a hand, and produced several spikes of ice around his hand. "Don't complain if you get hurt!" Gray warned Natsu. "You're on!" Natsu barked back, producing flames from his hand in retaliation.

"Would you two just stop?!" Dori barked, thrusting her hands in between them, "Violence is not the solution here. It'll only bring more problems!"

"Who asked you? And for that matter, who are you?" Gray questioned. "She's with us!" Natsu answered, wavering his eyes to their new helpers, "They're gonna help us take on the S-class mission, too!"

"You seriously joining a chump like him?" Gray questioned Dori, "He's not even qualified for this mission!"

"Maybe so, but I'm not the one you should be questioning." the magenta-haired girl noted, "It's my sister who chose to follow him." Gray looked to Palva behind her, who glared back at Gray, showing her firm resolve to follow Natsu.

"Magic?" the fisherman questioned in amazement, seeing the two mages's powers at hand, literally, "Are you mages? Could you be here to lift the curse from the island?"

"Yeah!" Natsu answered. "Well, we were…" a hesitant Lucy muttered. "I won't let you go!" Gray barked. "I'm just plain confused." Pastry muttered.

The boatman was startled for a few seconds, then he waved a beckoning hand as he instructed, "Get on board." Everyone was startled at the sudden change of heart he had.

Before Gray had a say in the matter, though, Natsu kicked him unconscious. "What the hell did you do that for?!" Leon questioned the Dragon Slayer as he went to pick up Gray. "Just a little precaution." he answered, saddling Gray's body over his shoulder, "Oh well, guess we're ridin' this boat."

"So does this mean he's coming with us?" Dori questioned Natsu, "Why not just leave him here?" "If this guy goes back to the guild, Erza'll be coming next!" Natsu warned them, showing a terrified look on his face. Lucy, Happy and Pastry all gave the same fearful looks.

"Is she a really scary person?" Palva asked. "Seems like it." Dori answered, "Even Pastry seems to fear her."

"You have no idea…" Leon agreed, causing the two to look at him in confusion. "You sound like you know her." Dori noticed. Leon shook his head in response, the added, "It's more of a feeling. One that makes me tense up." This brought even more confusion to the sisters.

* * *

Some time later, darkness fell on the seas, as well as on top of everyone in the boat. Natsu's cheeks were bulging as his head was hanging over the side of the boat. Palva's face was pale and sick-looking, with spiraling eyes to boot, while her sister held her close, trying her best to relax her. Gray was probably just as uncomfortable as the Dragon Slayers, due to the fact that his body was bound up in rope.

"So I guess it's the same for all Dragon Slayers, huh?" Lucy summed up, looking at poor Palva, "She can't handle transportation?" "All except for living creatures, like Pastry." Dori answered, "If she flies with him, she's fine." "Just like me and Natsu." Happy agreed.

"Either way, the darkness is kinda scaring me." Lucy muttered, looking at the darkness about them. "You're one to talk, after getting me mixed up in this!" Gray growled, then to the boatman, "And you, too! Why did you launch the boat?"

"My name is Bobo." the boatman introduced himself, "I once was a citizen of that island." He then looked down in a fearful look as he added, "I ran away from that cursed island. If you go to that island, grave misfortune will befall you."

"I wouldn't mind falling into the sea right now…" Palva moaned. "I'm with you there, kid." Natsu agreed. Both lurched a bit at their sick status.

"Can you really undo the curse? This demon curse." Bobo asked, and he unveiled his cloak to reveal a frightening sight. His left hand, arm and shoulder were not human, but of that of a demon-like creature.

"Old man…that arm…" Gray stated in shock. "Whoa. That's creepy." Leon added. "The curse…you don't mean…" Lucy realized.

Bobo looked up ahead, and said, "You can see it now. That's Galuna Island." Everyone turned to see an island off in the distance. It seemed normal enough from a distance, apart from the shining light on the highest point of the mountain.

"What's that?" Lucy asked, "There's something shining on the peak of that mountain." "Is that where the residents of Galuna are at?" Dori asked, her eyes narrowing.

The team was so distracted by the sight of the island, they failed to notice what happened to Bobo until they turned to see he had vanished. "Hey, where did he go?!" Lucy questioned. "Did he fall overboard?" Gray questioned. "I didn't hear a splash." Leon noted. "Then how did he vanish from the boat?" Pastry questioned.

Just then, the waves became harsh, and the boat started to go at an angle. "Guys, look!" Dori gasped, noticing a huge wave coming towards them, aiming them towards the island.

"A huge wave!" Lucy screamed. "Where did it come from?!" Happy questioned. "It's gonna engulf us! Hold on!" Gray yelled, though he barely had the ability to move his arms. The two Dragon Slayers could barely move from being so sick.

"Happy! Pastry! Grab the boat and fly!" Lucy ordered. "We're no that strong!" Happy answered as the wave engulfed them, shattering the boat and sending the group plummeting into the water. The pressure of the wave and the surrounding waters made them all black out before they could even endure.

* * *

It felt like forever before Dori woke up first. Her eyes fluttered at the sight of sunlight and palm trees, trying to make sense of what had just happened to her. Finally, she started to regain her senses, and her eyes were fully awake. She sat up slowly, looking about. They had arrived on the island shores, and it was daylight. She saw the rest of the group unconscious, and pieces of the boat that had floated ashore like they did.

"Well, that certainly wasn't a pleasure cruise." Dori moaned, stretching her arms up into the sky. "You're telling me…" moaned a voice from behind her, and she turned to see Lucy appear from behind a palm tree, massaging her head.

"You doing okay?" Dori asked the blonde. "Yeah." she answered, "How 'bout you?" "I'll manage." Dori answered, turning to the rest of the group, seeing Happy's tail flicking while he was face down in the sand, "Let's get everybody else up."

After they got everyone back to their senses, they all agreed that they landed on Galuna Island thanks to that tidal wave. "We really lucked out." Gray groaned. "You're right about that." Leon agreed.

"But what was with that guy…?" Lucy questioned, "He said something about the Demon Curse?" "I've heard about all kinds of curse powers from books, but never something like that." Dori noted.

"Who cares?! I wanna explore! It's an exploration!" Natsu exclaimed in a childish manner, with Happy 'ayed' in agreement. "You're more interested in that than the request?" Lucy questioned.

"He's certainly nothing like me." Palva compared, then yelled to Natsu, "Hey! Can you get serious?! You said you were on a mission, right?!" Natsu stopped in place as he realized his reasons coming here.

Dori then looked to Lucy and asked, "Speaking of which, what is the mission you were sent here to do?" "Oh, right." Lucy realized, realizing she had not informed them of the situation. She pulled out the paper that had the S-class request on it. "According to this, we need to lift the curse off of Galuna Island." she explained, looking at the details of the request, "There appears to be one village on this island. The chieftain is the one who made the request. Let's search for him."

"Wait." Gray stopped them, drawing everyone's attention. "What? The ship's destroyed, so you can't bring us back." Natsu reminded him.

"No. I'm coming." Gray retorted, surprising the other Fairy Tail mages, "It'd be annoying if you got up to the second floor before me, and if you got expelled, it wouldn't be any fun. We do this job right, and Gramps has nothing to complain about, right?" Natsu, Lucy and Happy all smiled in agreement.

"Well, we might as well help you guys complete this mission." Dori declared, indicating herself and her companions. "We're kinda stuck here, anyway. No point in separating after all this." Leon noted.

"That's great and all, but you sure you can handle this?" Gray asked. "Don't sweat it." Natsu assured him, pointing at Palva, "That kid there's a Fire Dragon Slayer like me."

"Are you serious?!" Gray questioned in shock. Palva raised a free fist, igniting flames around it. "He is." she answered.

"Speaking of which, what about you guys?" Lucy asked Dori and Leon, "We saw you guys fight off those bandits, but can you even use magic?"

"Of course we can." Leon answered, and he raised a hand, summoning a familiar magic circle to the group before producing a spear, "I use Requip magic. I have an assortment of weapons and a couple armors to work with."

"You mean…you're just like Erza?!" Natsu question in surprise. "Erza?" Leon asked, his eyes narrowing. The same feeling of slight hatred from before appeared once more from her name.

"Aye. She can use Requip magic, too. And she has a lot of armors to change into." Happy explained. "Then I guess we are the same. Though I only have four armor sets to chose from right now." Leon explained.

"What about you?" Gray asked Dori, "What's your magic?" "Glad you asked." she answered, and she raised an upward palm, producing a magic circle. Instantly, a small, foggy white, crystal obelisk appeared from her palm.

"I use Crystal Magic." Dori explained, "I can produce crystals from anywhere in my eyesight, including my body."

"Wow. That's so beautiful." Lucy stated, "So is it Maker magic like Gray's?" "No. My crystals can't take any complex forms." Dori explained, "But I've studied many years in harnessing the full potential of my Crystal Magic, so I'm pretty useful."

"Yeah, out of all of us, my sister is probably the strongest mage here." Palva pointed out, then in a slight depressed manner she added, "And the one who has the best control over her magic, too." Dori looked to her younger sister in a sympathetic manner, knowing why she added this.

"Cool. Then I can't wait to work with you guys." Natsu stated, oblivious to the moment, "Let's go save this island!" "Yeah!" everyone cheered in agreement, and they set out into the jungle.

As they ventured into the dense jungle, Happy looked to Pastry flying nearby and asking, "So where did you guys come from, anyway?" "From the western continent, Alakitasia." he explained.

"You're from a different continent?" Natsu asked Palva, "Well, guess that explains why I never heard of you."

"Same here. We only learned about you by a random traveler from Fiore." Palva explained, "When we heard about a Salamander who wielded the flames of a dragon, I thought this would be the best chance I got to get some help."

"And what is this help you need me to do?" Natsu asked. The young Dragon Slayer stopped in her tracks, looking down for a moment. Everyone stopped to watch her before she answered, "I guess you could say it's the same as this island. I need a curse lifted…from me."

"From you?" Gray asked, surprised. "You're cursed?" Lucy questioned. "Yeah. Ever since I was born." Palva answered, looking at her hand, "These flames of mine. They are nothing but a curse to me."

The Fairy Tail mages looked at her with concerned and confusion, while Leon, Dori and Pastry were looked at her and one another with sad looks, knowing her backstory far too well.

"Well, never mind that." Palva waved off, "Once we free the curse of this island off, then we can worry about me afterwards." She pressed onwards, with the others watching her from behind, then following after her.

 _What is she saying?_ Lucy questioned, watching her back, _Why does she think of her flames as a curse?_ Natsu was also questioning this. He never thought of his Dragon Slayer magic as a curse, but Palva, who possesses the same magic, considers her magic something she doesn't want. There had to be a good reason behind it.

* * *

It was clear that they were unconscious on the beach for a while before, because night started to settle. They were reaching a large wooden fortress set of gates, with a sign that said 'Keep Out' on it.

"Well, here it is." Dori noted, "At least, I hope this is the village." "What's with the 'keep out' sign?" Natsu questioned.

"Excuse me!" Lucy called out, "Please open the gate!" No response from anyone inside.

"Should we bust it down?" Natsu questioned, clenching his fist. "No way!" Lucy and Dori barked back.

"Who's there?!" called a voice at the top of the gates. "We're from the wizard guild, Fairy Tail!" Lucy informed them.

"We didn't hear that anyone accepted the request!" the gatekeeper pointed out, causing Lucy to falter. Of course they didn't know, considering they were doing this request illegally.

"There must've been a mix up, and the message was sent late." Gray lied. "Show us your marks! All of you!" the gatekeeper ordered. The Fairy Tail wizards all showed their guild marks; Natsu's on his right shoulder, Happy's on his back, Lucy's on her right hand, and Gray's on his chest.

"They're for real! They actually came!" the second gatekeeper noticed, then to the other four with them, he asked, "What about these folks? Are they with the guild?"

"We're hired help, specializing in dealing with curses!" Dori lied, "We're not officially part of any guild, but we are here to help!" The two gatekeepers understood, and they lifted the gate open to allow them in.

"It's like we're entering the mouth of a giant monster." Happy compared. "Please don't say things like that." Lucy responded fearfully.

"Actually, I can believe that." Leon stated, "I've been through a similar situation in the past." "How are you still alive?" Lucy questioned in bewilderment.

They all entered in, seeing the row of ratty-robed covered people, with a short man in similar garbs, with a decorated face cover and a staff with a moon-shaped rock on it.

"I am the chief of this village, Moka!" the old man greeted, "Firstly, I have something to show you. Villagers!" Everyone disrobed their ratty robes to reveal their bodies, all of which had some sort of demonic limbs, horns, or even a wing. Moka himself had a hand with sharp claws.

"The same as the man on the boat." Gray noticed, as the rest of the team gazed at the horrid sight. "This is unbelievable." Palva gasped.

"Those sideburns are incredible!" Natsu exclaimed, seeing the chieftain's long, silver-haired sideburns that reached his waist. "Wrong part of the body, Salamander!" Dori barked, "Look at his hand!"

"Every living thing on this island has been cursed like this." Moka explained, "Dogs and birds, without exception."

"I can understand that this is a big problem, but why would you consider it a curse?" Dori questioned, "It might just be some sort of sickness."

"We've consulted countless doctors, but they say there is no disease like this." Moka explained, "And this appearance of ours is linked to the moon's evil spell."

"The moon's spell?" Lucy questioned. "This place has absorbed moonlight since ancient times, and the island once sparkled beautifully like the moon. But some years ago, the light from the moon started changing to a purple color."

"A purple moon?" Natsu questioned. "Guys, look!" Pastry pointed to the sky. "The moons coming out!" Happy noticed. They all looked up to see the clouds part, revealing the moon shining down from above them. However, it was just as Moka said; it was not it's normal white or even yellow, but an eerie purple color.

"He's right! The moon is purple!" Lucy gasped. "But it was white a couple nights ago." Dori recalled, puzzled. "Really, I didn't notice." Palva added. "We were on that ship." Dori reminded her, and Palva grimaced at the reminder.

"It's the curse." Moka told them, and they saw him and the other villagers' bodies started to tense, "This is the evil spell of the moon!" Suddenly, they all started to scream and flail in agony as their bodies began transforming before the heroes's shocked eyes. Any human flesh on their body suddenly warped into a demonic form. Natsu and Palva's team were at a loss as to how this was suddenly happening. All they did know was the moon was definitely involved. Within a few moments, the villagers and chieftain all stood their, as demons.

"I apologize for startling you." the chieftain apologized. "What in the world is this?" Gray questioned. "They weren't kidding on calling it a demon curse." Leon noted, "You guys practically became demons."

"That's…that's so cool!" Natsu exclaimed, surprising the villagers and allies alike, "Awesome! You got horns and spines and stuff! How can I get some?!" "He thinks this is cool?" a male villager asked. "No one's ever said that before." a female villager stated.

"Are you stupid?! These guys don't want to look like this!" Pastry barked, putting himself in Natsu's face, "They want to be normal humans!"

"Really?" Natsu questioned, then he felt sort of embarrassed as he said, "My bad. Guess we'd better do something about it." "Wasn't that the whole point behind taking the request?" Palva questioned, "I'm having serious doubts whether I need his help or not…"

"Returning to the matter at hand." Moka interrupted them, "When the purple moon appears, we all change to these demonic forms. If this cannot be called a curse, then what is?" Many of the villagers started to cry out of the pain of dealing with this dreaded fate.

"When the morning comes, everyone returns to their previous forms, however some never change back again!" Moka continued, "Their very minds have been stolen from them." "How dreadful." Pastry muttered.

"The ones who have been turned into demons, who have lost their minds… We have no choice but to kill them." the chieftain grieved.

The team was shocked at this, then Natsu argued, "But there might be a way to return them to normal!" "Yeah. Maybe binding them down until you found a cure or something." Dori added, "They were part of your village. You didn't have to kill them like that!"

"If we leave them be, then everyone would be killed by the demon!" Moka retorted, "Even when we lock them up, they destroy the jail. So…" He pulled out a photo of a man, and tears formed from his eyes, seeing his picture as he sobbed, "I killed my own son. My son, whose mind was turned into that of a demon."

He cried as he lowered the photo enough for the others to see. They were shocked, for the man he was grieving over was none other than the boatman that brought them here, Boko. "That's…" Lucy started, then she began telling the chieftain, "But yesterday, we…"

Gray hushed her before she could speak about the man, then realized, "I know why that guy disappeared. He couldn't rest in peace, could he?" Both Lucy and Dori were petrified at this statement. If what he said was true, then Boko was not among the living. He was a ghost.

Palva ignored all of this, looking firmly at the Moka and the villagers. Her grip around her lance grew tighter as her face contorted in disgust. They, themselves, were demons. They had been trying to hold onto sanity for so long, while dealing with a power beyond their control. And when someone became a full demon, they had no choice but to kill them. Anyone who was a threat to their existence, to their island, they didn't allow them to live or leave the island. The thought of these people having other options, yet choosing to kill the people who became demons, squeezed her heart tight from anger. She couldn't allow this to continue at all.

"Please save this island!" the chieftain begged, bowing his head to them, "If things stay like this, all of us will lose our minds and turn to demons!"

"We won't-." Natsu started, then Palva intervened furiously, "We won't let that happen!" Everyone looked to Palva as her face became determined. "I won't let you kill off any more people who turn into demons. It's a sick way of dealing with the problem, and one that shouldn't continue! I swear to you, we will stop this curse once and for all!"

The Fairy Tail mages were all surprised at her abrupt declaration. From what they could feel emanating off of her, this issue felt more personal than anything to her. To Leon and Pastry, they knew why she was taking this issue personally, but none knew it better than her older sister. After all, Dori dealt with people who saw Palva in the same exact way as the villagers saw themselves. The pain of those times was close to her heart as it was to her sister's.

"There is only one way to rid us of the curse." Moka informed them, and he pointed to the moon, "The moon… Please destroy the moon!" The team of mages were startled at the near impossible request. He really wanted them to destroy the moon? But a feet like that, as far as they knew, was impossible.

"Can you give us some time?" Dori asked, "We'll try to figure out a way to deal with the curse tomorrow morning, okay?" Moka closed his eyes, nodding in understanding. "Of course, but please destroy the moon as soon as possible!" he requested, "In the meantime, we'll give you one of our homes to sleep in. Please, stay out of the moonlight as much as possible, or be cursed, just like the rest of us!"

* * *

Moments later, most of the team were resting inside the hut given to them, settling into bed. Pastry and Happy were watching the moon from the window.

"I never thought I would ever see a purple moon like this before." Pastry stated. "It keeps getting creepier the more you look at it." Happy added.

"Happy, Pastry, hurry and close the window." Lucy ordered, "The chief explained, remember? If we get exposed to too much moonlight, we'll turn into demons ourselves."

As Dori settled down her bag, pulling out some pajamas, she made a sound as she stated, "We should get some privacy for us girls. Give me a moment."

She turned to Leon and the cats as she stated, "Can you make sure no one comes to this half of the hut?" "Sure thing." Leon answered, turning to Gray and Natsu, "Stay where you are, okay?" "Why's that?" Gray asked, while Natsu was confused.

Dori stepped towards the middle of the room and placed a hand on the ground. " **Crystal Wall!** " With a magic circle, a wall of crystal formed across the middle of the room, creating a dividing wall between the boys and the girls. The Fairy Tail mages were amazed at this magical skill.

"There we go." Dori sighed, turning to Lucy, "The crystals not see-through, so we can undress in peace without peeping toms." "Wow! Thanks, Dori!" Lucy giggled, grateful for the consideration, and the two started to get into their sleeping clothes.

"Anyways, what do you guys think of the request?" Leon asked the other boys. "I think it's insane." Gray stated, "Do they seriously expect us to destroy the moon?"

"Who knows how many punches it'll take?" Natsu questioned, though how he said it almost seemed too casual.

"You seriously plan to destroy it?!" Gray and Leon questioned simultaneously. "Natsu, no one has the power to destroy the moon, not even mages." Lucy informed him as she fitted a white shirt over her chest.

"But the request is to destroy the moon." Natsu reminded, "If we accept a request and can't complete it, it'll look bad for Fairy Tail."

"I get that the reputation of your guild is at hand, but the request was to lift the curse, not destroy the moon." Dori reminded him, "Besides, the moon is pretty far off. How do you plan on getting there?" "Happy." Natsu answered casually, startling the blue cat. "Not happening." he stated. "That's completely impossible." Pastry added.

"Well, in any case, it might be better if we look around the island tomorrow in order to find clues about this curse." Dori informed them, with Lucy nodding in agreement, "Having the moon around is important in so many ways, so destroying it is out of the question."

As Gray was stripping down to his underwear, Natsu looked outside the window again, asking, "By the way, where's Palva? I wanted to ask her a few things about her Dragon Slayer magic."

"She probably found some cover from the moonlight in the village." Dori informed him.

"Why doesn't she come inside here?" Natsu asked. "Because she hates being inside places with other people." Leon answered, "She fears she might cause fires that'll lead to trapping people inside and burning them to death."

"That's pretty extreme!" Lucy exclaimed. "But it has happened a couple times." Dori retorted, then turning to her crystal wall, she requested, "Hey, Natsu? Mind go looking for her?" "Sure thing. I'll sniff her out." Natsu answered, and they heard the door open and close from the other side of the crystal.

Dori finally settled down on her bed, now wearing her sleeping clothes. Lucy looked down at her, forming a question that had been in her mind since talking to the chief. Finally, she asked, "Can I ask you something?" Dori looked at her as she asked, "It might be a bit private, but can I ask why Palva feels like her magic is a curse? And does it have to deal with why she got angry at the chief before?"

Dori paused for a few seconds, wondering if she should answer. On the other side of the crystal wall, Gray and Happy looked towards it, also curious. Leon and Pastry didn't say anything, but wondered if Dori would say anything about it.

"Palva's magic is…special." she began, "She was born with the power to wield Fire Dragon Slayer magic, but it is such a powerful kind of magic, that she has no control over its' flames." "What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

* * *

Outside, sitting underneath the shade of one of the hut canopy's, Palva was sitting with her back to a pillow she had in her bag. She looked at the village in general, wondering. Destroying the moon was a complete impossible task to accomplish, but she couldn't leave this island with how it was. She couldn't allow to see these people kill each other off when they can't control the curse any longer. It would be no different than people killing her.

"Hey, kiddo." greeted a familiar voice. Natsu rounded the corner to see her in the shade. "What're you doing here?" she asked. "Thought I swing by to see how you were doing." Natsu answered, crawling underneath the canopy next to Palva.

Palva didn't say a word for a while. Even though she had many questions to ask a fellow Dragon Slayer, she didn't really know where to begin.

"Heard you can't stand being indoors with others, huh?" Natsu asked. "Yeah. That's right." Palva asked.

They sat in silence for a couple of seconds before Natsu continued, "If you breath fire in your sleep, I can't say I haven't done that either." "That's not it at all!" Palva barked angrily at him. Natsu looked at Palva's angry face, then she turned away from him.

"So tell me, why do you consider your Dragon Slayer magic a curse?" Natsu asked, the question forming after hearing about it before. "Do you hate it that much?"  
"Well, yes and no." Palva answered hesitantly, "It's not much I hate it as I pretty much am afraid of it." "Afraid of it?" Natsu echoed, surprised.

"Let me show you." she told him, handing him her lance. He took it, and Palva let go of it, and looked down. For a moment, nothing happened whatsoever. Suddenly, her teeth started to grit as she curled her fists, as if she was trying to restrain herself. Natsu wondered what she was trying to do until he noticed her body starting to emanate flames. They started small, and in a few parts of her body. However, the flames started to spread and grow larger, singing the ground and nearing the area around her.

"Hey, what're you…" Natsu started, but he couldn't finish before a small spurt of flames came from her body, silencing him. Palva's entire body tensed up, trying to restrain the flames that were coming out, but with no results. She grimaced and moaned as beads of sweat came off of her forehead. The canopy above started to burn away a hole over Palva. The hut behind her was starting to smoke. Natsu was at a loss for words what was causing this. When she couldn't take it anymore, she stretched her arm out as quickly as she could, and took her lance, holding it close to her. In a few seconds, the flames died down, and she returned to normal, panting from exhaustion, but still in one piece.

"What the hell was that?" Natsu asked in surprised. "My magic." Palva answered, regaining her energy, "It's…uncontrollable." "What are you saying?" Natsu asked.

"Ever since I was born, I, myself, have never been able to control these flames." she began explaining, "Because of it, I've burnt so many towns and villages like this down without even meaning to. I've burnt people alive without wanting to. That includes…" she shed some tears as she sobbed, "That includes my parents." Natsu eyes dilated in shock at this. He never thought her magic would cause her to accidentally kill her parents.

"Because of this, I've been called a fire demon." she continued, stifling back the tears, "People think of me as a nuisance for that purpose. Many people in my continent…even wanted to kill me." "Palva…" Natsu muttered, not sure what to say about that.

* * *

"…I was the only remaining family she had left." Dori continued the story, "We've been on the run for quite some time, ever since she was three years old, when she accidentally caused a major city to go down in flames. That was ten years ago."

"You've been on the running for your lives for that long?" Lucy asked, horrified at the story so far. Dori nodded, then continued, "We've tried finding so many ways of stopping her flames from going out of control. We tried consulting those who specialized in Fire magic, but none could ever find any way of helping her. The only thing that can suppress the flames inside her is her lance, Dragonic Fang."

"That lance she carries can suppress her flames?" Gray questioned, looking to Leon, who nodded. "It's practically the only thing that keeps her magic in check." Pastry informed them.

* * *

"…Supposedly, the blade of the lance is said to have been made from a fire dragon's actual fang." Palva explained to Natsu, raising the staff in front of her, "As long as I'm in physical contact with this, I can control my Dragon Slayer magic."

"Seriously? This lance has the fang of a fire dragon?!" Natsu exclaimed, then looking up at the blade of the lance and taking a whiff, he stated, "Actually, smelling it almost reminds me of Igneel. Guess it really was the fang of a fire dragon."

"Who's Igneel?" Palva asked. "My dad." Natsu answered, "He's the one who taught me Dragon Slayer magic. He's also a dragon."

Palva was in shock at this new bit of info about Natsu. "Your dad's a dragon?!" she gasped, "Where is he? Can I meet him?!"

"I'm looking for him, too." Natsu answered, and he looked a bit sad at this, "He vanished one day, and I've been looking for him ever since. So far, no dice. But I know he's out there, somewhere." Palva felt a bit let down, but could feel Natsu was sad at losing his father figure. Then again, it's not like he was lost forever, like her parents.

"You're lucky to know he is at least out there." Palva stated, "At least you don't have the guilt to know that your parent is gone forever, or that it was your fault they are gone."

Natsu looked to Palva, and noticed the tears starting to fall from her face. "You don't have to be constantly ridiculed as a monster, or constantly hunted down just because you have a power you can't control." she sobbed, looking to Natsu, "I had to deal with this all my life. Every time I lost control of my powers, something always is destroyed, and people want to kill me for it. Dori has done so much to protect me, as did Leon and Pastry. But I don't want to be a burden to them anymore. Please, Natsu. Save me from all of this!"

Her emotions were overflowing from what she wanted more than anything, what she had to endure for so long, and who suffered because of it. The moonlight shone down from the hole she burnt through the canopy, and it made her tears glisten as they fell to the ground before her. She tried so hard to stifle the tears, but that was a lost effort. Her hand holding her lance was wavering, but she held it tight to prevent herself from losing control.

Just then, she felt a warm hand placed on top of her head, and felt Natsu's breath ruffling the hair on her forehead. She looked up, and saw Natsu giving a reassuring and comforting smile towards her.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Palva." Natsu told her, "I'll make sure you don't have to suffer any more. You're not a monster at all. You're a Dragon Slayer, just like me. I'll help you out with your powers, but only after we complete this request, okay?"

Palva's eyes went wide as Natsu's words touched her heart. For once, someone other than Leon, Pastry, or her sister didn't consider her a monster. Someone else saw how dangerous her powers were, and wanted to help her so eagerly. She was so relieved at this, that she closed her eyes and placed her head on his chest, grabbing his vest tightly.

"Thanks you." she whimpered. Natsu gave a toothy grin at how grateful she was to him. She truly was a kind spirit, and he knew that, as a Fairy Tail mage, he couldn't walk away from someone so desperate.

* * *

Back in the hut, Dori had placed down the crystal wall, and everyone was in their beds. Leon and Gray were already dead asleep, snoring away, as were Happy and Pastry. Lucy was attempting to go to sleep, but the snoring of the two boys kept her awake. Dori had the window cracked open, looking outside to see any signs of Natsu or her sister.

"Geez, I can't sleep with all this noise." Lucy moaned, raising herself up. She then noticed Dori at the window, wide awake still.

"Have Natsu and Palva come back yet?" Lucy asked the older sister. "No, and I don't think they'll come back tonight." she answered, walking away from the window and settling herself down at her bed, "I'm sure they're gonna be alright. They are fellow Fire Dragon Slayers, after all." Lucy smiled in agreement.

"By the way, I have something for a goodnight sleep." Dori told her, and she dug into the small pocket of her bag, pulling out two sets of earplugs. "Wow, that's really convenient." Lucy stated, gratefully taking a set.

"You can tell Leon's no silent sleeper." Dori stated, "And Palva may not look it, but she can snore with the best of them, too." Lucy giggled at this statement.

"Well, let's get some shut-eye, and investigate this island tomorrow morning." Dori declared in a hushed tone. "Yeah. Goodnight." Lucy told her. They crawled underneath the sheets, and fell dead asleep.

Outside, Natsu and Palva were fast asleep as well, snoring away simultaneously, while the villagers in their home were desperate to block out the noise. The purple rays of the moon shined all about the island as the inhabitants and mages alike were oblivious to the actual cause of the curse, nor did they know what was sleeping within the belly of the island as well, waiting to be revived once more.


	2. The Demons of the Island

**Hey, folks! Another chapter up. Hope for people to review my work! It has heavy dialogue, but the next chapter should have a lot of action. Enjoy!**

"Palva…" Dori's voice spoke up. Her sister's voice echoed as she slowly started to come around from her sleep. She raised one eyelid as she contemplated where she was right now. Dori was standing there, with Lucy, Gray, Leon, Happy and Pastry behind her. Gray and Happy were still trying to wake up due to being woken up so early. The firm padding on the side of Palva's head indicated she was resting on Natsu's chest, with the said Fire Dragon Slayer dead to the world.

"Come one, Palva. Time to wake up." Dori ordered, crouching towards her face, "We have to get going on the mission. Natsu, you wake up as well."

Palva yawned deeply as she moaned, "Five more minutes, please…" She closed her eyes, and tilted her head away from the sunlight.

"Well, those two were probably up late." Lucy stated. "Should've guessed. They did have a lot to say to one another." Dori sighed, then her face went serious as she muttered, "Looks like I have no other choice…"

She formed her hands in front of her like she was holding a ball from above and below, and magic energy formed from in between. " **Lacrima Release: Water!** " The energy surrounding her hands became blue, and water shot out in a large stream. The sleepy Dragon Slayers were doused in the water, causing them to wake up and sputter as the water entered their mouths. Once she knew they were fully awake, Dori stopped her attack.

"DAMMIT! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Natsu demanded angrily. "You know I hate it when you do that!" Palva argued.

"Sorry, but it was the only way to wake you two up." Dori apologized in an unconvincing manner. Grumbling, Natsu and Palva got up and stretched themselves, prepping for the day.

* * *

Once they were gathered outside of the village, Natsu, Gray, Palva and Happy groaned at how early it was. Pastry and Leon weren't too disturbed, as they had short sleeps many times before.

Lucy turned to Dori and asked, "How were you able to do that?" "Do what?" Dori questioned.

"You said you're a Crystal magic wielder." Lucy recalled, "How could you use water magic?"

"Oh, right. I didn't explain that part." Dori realized, "You see, my magic doesn't just fully focus on crystals I can produce. I can also absorb all kinds of crystals inside of my body to use for later. That also includes lacrima, which are basically crystalized magic. So when I absorb a lacrima that contains a certain magic in it, I can unleash it's energy at a target."

"Wow! That's a really useful kind of magic you have there!" Lucy exclaimed in amazement. Dori smiled, but almost seemed a bit sad as she stated, "Well, when the whole continent wants to kill your little sister, you tend to go beyond your limits to protect her."

Lucy looked sympathetically at Dori, then to Palva, who was stretching herself and smacking her cheeks in order to wake herself up. After hearing the two's story last night, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Palva's situation.

"Can we get moving here?" Leon questioned, approaching the two girls, "We all didn't wake up this early for you two to talk so much."

"Jeez, I was just curious about her magic!" Lucy barked, then she pulled out a silver key from her satchel as she stated, "Let me show you a bit of what I can do." She waved her key as she chanted, **"Open! Gate of the Clock: Horologium!"** A magic circle appeared, and with it came a grandfather's clock. Two black hands, feet, and a head suddenly appeared, displaying it's living capabilities. "It's 7:48 AM."

"What the heck is this?" Leon questioned in a confused manner, looking at the clock with a tilt.

"I see. You're a Celestial mage." Dori realized, watching at Lucy opened up the spirit's wooden door. "Yep. Pretty cool, huh?" the blonde questioned, hoping to be praised. Dori shrugged, causing Lucy to look a bit crestfallen.

* * *

Later on, the crew ventured into the forest of the island, pretty much getting the lay of the land. They all agreed that the best place to start would be the area where they saw the shining light two nights ago.

"You really think we can lift the curse without destroying the moon?" Natsu asked. "We don't have a choice, do we?" Gray answered.

"Destroying the moon is out of the question." Dori told the two, "Do you even know what would happen if we would destroy it?"

"Yeah. No moon-viewing festivals (Tsukimi)." Gray pointed out. "You're right! Then we couldn't eat any more of the limited-time specialty, Fairy Tail Tsukimi steak!" Natsu exclaimed. "I don't know what I'd do if my Tsukimi salted fish would suddenly be gone." Happy added.

"I was thinking less 'moon-watching specialties' and more of the greater effects it had." Dori muttered, finding it disbelieving they would go to food first, "Such things like causing the waters to go crazy, animal migration, not to mention it would be a lot more darker in the sky from now on."

"Oh yeah…" Gray and Natsu realized, looking into the air obliviously. "I feel sorry for Lucy to deal with you two, suddenly." Dori muttered, then turning around with a bemused expression as she added, "Although…" She and Palva were watching as Lucy was curled up inside the belly of Horologium, while the clock was walking in the same pace as the others.

"'What? Why are you guys looking at me that way?' she asks." Horologium translated. "Why the heck are you in there?" Palva questioned, "Get out here and walk with us instead." "Seriously, it won't kill you to walk in this jungle." Pastry assured her.

"But, we're dealing with a curse." Lucy reminded them, with Horologium translating, "It's even more scary when you can't see it."

"As expected of an S-rank quest!" Natsu stated eagerly, "I'm really fired up!" "I'll just freeze the curse." Gray decided, "It's nothing to be afraid of."

"I don't think curses can be frozen." Dori muttered. "'You guys really are idiots.' she says." Horologium translated. "Aye." Happy agreed.

Palva watched Natsu, who was still eager about the S-class quest. Thinking back on his promise last night, it's obvious he was a helpful person. However, based on all she got from him so far, he was undoubtedly an 'eager for adventure' idiot. While it was not exactly encouraging, it did make Palva feel a bit jealous. She was never given a carefree life, since she was constantly on the run.

Just then, the crew felt the ground starting to rumble. Footsteps. Something large was coming their way from behind. "What's that?" Natsu questioned. They all turned, only to find a shocking sight. A monstrous figure with glittering eyes was glaring down at them from afar.

"Holy crap!" Pastry exclaimed. "It's huge!" Gray stated. "'Hurry up and take care of it!' she says." Horologium translated.

"Leon!" Dori called out. "I'm on it!" the blue-haired man answered, pulling out his greatsword and leaping up at the monstrous being, who inhaled deeply.

"I don't think so!" Leon barked, raising his sword flat in front of him, " **Aegis Blade!** " The blade of the sword suddenly folded out, taking a shield-like form as a magic circle formed in front of it.

The monster exhaled a spew of gas at Leon, who repelled it easily. However, the gas went around and fell towards the group down below. Natsu, Gray, Dori, Palva and Pastry all exclaimed in agony upon inhaling the gas. "Crap. Guys!" Leon shouted, looking down below, fearing his friend's safety.

"'Hey, what's wrong?'" Horologium translated Lucy, who had the company of a certain blue cat as she also asked, "'And when did you get in here?'" Then with Happy, he translated, "'Aye' they say."

Horologium then couldn't handle the gas anymore, and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Lucy and Happy to inhale the gas. Now they knew why the others were in such agony; the gas was extremely disgusting.

"So it's not poisonous, but fowl." Leon muttered, relieved to see the others still okay, apart from the smell. He then heard the monster cackling, and turned to get a good glimpse of it. Turns out, it was a giant rat of some kind, light blue-furred, and wearing a sort of Gothic Lolita maid outfit.

"A mouse?!" Lucy exclaimed. "Looks like a rat, to me." Dori corrected as Leon landed back with the group. "Natsu, Palva, this isn't the time to be on the ground!" Gray scolded the two Dragon Slayers, who passed out from the stench.

"Natsu does have a strong sense of smell, after all." Happy pointed out. "Same with Palva." Pastry added, "Must be a Dragon Slayer thing."

The giant rat suddenly had a glint in her eye, signaling the group it was ready to attack. Fortunately, Natsu and Palva were able to wake up in time to realize the situation, and they all took off as the rat began sprinting after them. Twice, it tried to slow them down with the putrid gas, but they held their noses and avoided it as best as they could.

"We can't just keep running like this!" Pastry exclaimed, "Let's stop this thing in its' tracks!" He did a U-turn as he began picking up speed in his wings, charging at the giant rat's face. "Taste my **Mach Spike!** " He declared, dashing at high speeds. He almost got in close enough to beat him, but the rat spiked him instead with one of its' front claws, sending him flying and screaming. "I thought cats were suppose to beat rats!" Lucy exclaimed.

Frustrated, Gray turned around and pounded a fist into his open palm, casting a magic circle. " **Ice Make Floor!** " he roared, and he created a sheet of ice on the ground behind him, causing the rat to slip up and fall flat on its' back.

"Ice Maker magic, huh?" Dori noticed, "That's a handy power." "You should've used that from the start." Palva huffed. "Stop complaining!" Gray barked back.

"Guys, look!" Leon pointed out, seeing where Pastry landed. He, Lucy and Dori looked to see what looked like an ancient temple with crescent moon-like emblems on it. A door was also present for them to enter in.

"There's a building over there." Lucy noticed, then to the rest of the team, "Let's get in there while we still have the chance!"

Natsu and Gray, on the other hand, were pounding the rat's face in vigorously as they exclaimed, "That's right! Let's beat it up while we still have the chance!" Palva was watching them, pointing out, "I think it's unconscious, guys…"

"We don't have time for this." Dori stated, and she stepped forward, clapping her hands together, forming a magic circle, then slamming the ground with them. A magic circle appeared right underneath the rat as Dori shouted, " **Crystal Launcher!** " A large piece of crystal suddenly protruded out of the ground, sending the rat flying skyward and making the two boys spin out of control from the recoil, making them fall flat on their backs. The rat flew through the sky and crashed a good distance away from them.

"Nice going, Dori!" Lucy cheered. "You really sent that thing flying!" Happy gasped. "And she hadn't used her full strength yet." Leon pointed out.

Dori turned to the two boys as they rose up, groaning a bit in pain. "Ow! Why did you do that?" they moaned simultaneously.

"Because you were being distracted from the mission at hand." Dori answered promptly, "Now, if you are done fooling around, let's head to that temple." With that, she walked towards the temple, with Lucy, Leon and Happy following her lead.

"Man, what's with her acting all high and mighty like that?" Natsu questioned as he and Gray joined Palva's side. "Seriously, it's not like we weren't thinking about this mission." Gray added.

"She takes all tasks at hand seriously." the little sister explained, "But don't be so harsh on her. After all, since we had no parents, she pretty much had to become the leader for us. And after everything we've endured, no task set out for us should come with distractions, according to her."

Natsu and Gray looked to Palva, then at Dori again, slightly understanding what she was talking about, although that didn't disintegrate their annoyance towards it. They followed the team as they entered into the temple.

* * *

When they got inside, they found what they expected from an old temple; old and crumbling, with walls full of writing and drawings.

"Oh, it's gigantic." Lucy gasped. "It's a mess." Natsu added. "Way to point out the obvious." Pastry stated. "I wonder when it was built?" Leon asked.

"Huh, what's that?" Palva asked, pointing near the ceiling, where they could see a red crescent moon emblem.

"Looks like the moon." Gray answered, "This island was originally called 'The Island of the Moon'."

"The Island of the Moon, the moon curse, moon symbols…" Lucy listed out, "These ruins looks really suspicious." "And everything here points to the moon." Dori added, "I wonder if the people here were moon worshipers? Maybe it contains clues to the curse the people of this island have."

"But it's in a terrible condition." Natsu pointed out, walking over and stomping on the ground, "Is this floor even safe?" "If it is, you shouldn't try breaking it!" Pastry barked.

Just then, one stomp from Natsu suddenly caused the ground to cave in on his end, along with every other place the group stood. They then fell down through a hole, with Dori screaming, "YOU IDIOT! HOW CAN YOU BE SO DUMB?!"

When they stopped falling, they found themselves in an underground cave. While most of the crew managed to avoid the falling debree, Palva and Natsu ended up covered in it.

"Palva! Are you okay?!" Dori asked in a scared manner. The rubble shifted, and Natsu and Palva emerged, the latter irritated by the former.

"Hey, is everyone okay?" Natsu questioned. "Not really, thanks to you!" Lucy growled. "What's the point of noticing the weak groundwork when you're gonna break it anyway?!" Palva questioned harshly, "Seriously, think before you act!"

As soon as everyone recovered, they all looked upwards, barely seeing the daylight at the end of the long-distant tunnel. "Jeez, we fell pretty deep." Leon noted.

"Happy, Pastry, can you fly us all out?" Lucy asked the two cats. "That's impossible." Happy answered.

"Palva, can you go check up there?" Leon asked. "Sure. Shouldn't be a problem." the young Dragon Slayer answered. The Fairy Tail wizards looked to her questionably. How was she gonna check things out up there?

Palva found where to stand so that she could go up the center of the hole, and bent her knees in preparation to jump. " **Fire Dragon's…** " A magic circle appeared at her feet as they ignited, " **…Pounce!** " Leaving cracks on the ground, she shot into the air like a fiery rocket, causing Lucy and Happy to fall over from the shockwave of the jump. They saw her reach the top of the hole quite easily.

"Wow, I didn't know about that move!" Natsu gasped. "Because she infused her Dragon Slayer magic with tricks she learned from an ancient group known as the dragoons." Leon explained.

"Dragoons?" Gray questioned, "Who are they?" "An old group of warriors, sometimes known as 'dragon knights' because their combat was solely based around the beasts themselves." Dori explained.

"Cool! So they were Dragon Slayers, just like us?" Natsu asked. Dori shook her head as she answered, "I doubt it, but from what we discovered in ancient ruins a long time ago, the dragoons were incredibly gifted in their jumping skills, aerial hand-to-hand combat, and skilled in using lances and spears. They even used their magic to be able to unleash breath attacks like the dragon."

"Sounds pretty awesome guys!" Natsu stated eagerly, "So where can I find them? I wanna meet them so I can show 'em what a Dragon Slayer is made of!"

"Unfortunately, they died out a long time ago." Dori stopped him, "However, we found records of their combat skills, and Palva decided to imitate their skills, especially since she uses a lance, too."

Just then, Palva landed back down on the ground again, landing neatly on her feet. "So, what's it like up there?" Dori asked. "Thanks to Natsu, the front entrance got crumbled." Palva stated, "I tried getting the entrance cleared up, but I saw through the gap that darn rat up there. I decided not to draw attention, in case it fumed the room with that gas. Ugh!"

"So we're stuck in this underground area." Lucy muttered. "There do seem to be some pathways down here." Leon pointed out, "We should see where they lead to."

"Cool! It's a secret cave!" Natsu stated eagerly, dashing off like an excitable kid, "Since we're already here, let's explore!" "Wait up, Natsu!" Palva barked, pursuing him, "Can you please take our situation a little more seriously?!"

"I keep questioning why he had to be the Salamander we were searching for." Dori muttered. "He's an idiot, but he knows how to fight when the time comes." Gray pointed out.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Dori retorted, leading the remaining group as they followed Natsu and Palva.

As they rushed, they couldn't help but noticed the cave becoming colder and colder. What could be causing such a chill? The question was in everyone's mind. Well, everyone except for a certain pink-haired idiot.

Natsu and Palva rounded the corner in the cave, and stopped in a big open room. However, it wasn't the area in particular that made them halt. It was a giant piece of ice that was in the center of it all, with a mist from the cold atmosphere it gave spreading about the floor. That wouldn't be at all interesting, though, had it not had something within. A giant monster of some sort, frozen in the ice.

"Guys, wait up!" Lucy cried out as everyone joined them. "What's up?" Gray asked, seeing their startled expressions.

"Hey guys, what's that?" Natsu asked. "Is it a…monster?" Palva questioned. Everyone looked at the monster in the ice, and while they were all shocked to see it, only one of them was both shocked and afraid.

"T-This is…Deliora." Gray stammered, too shocked for words. He started walking forward as he spoke in a petrified tone, "Impossible. Why is Deliora here? I can't believe it! There's no way it could be in a place like this!"

The team looked startled at his reaction to the monster, especially Natsu and Lucy. They had never heard Gray speak in such fear and anger. Dori, however, felt as she heard the monster's name before, but where?

"You know what this thing is?" Natsu asked as everyone gathered around the Ice-Make mage. He tried to start, but he was too terrified and angry to even begin explaining.

"Calm down, Gray." Lucy told him, placing a hand on his arm. "Take a few deep breaths." Dori ordered, "You can't explain it to us unless you get ahold of yourself."

After a few deep breaths, Gray was able to calm down a bit, but his anger and fear towards the beast in front of them still showed on his face.

"So what is this thing?" Leon echoed the question again. "Deliora. The demon of disaster." Gray answered in a low tone.

"Demon of deserters?" Natsu questioned, confused. "Disaster!" Happy and Pastry corrected him.

"It hasn't changed at all." Gray noticed in a growl, "What the hell is going on?"

Just then, Dori and Leon sensed something, and they turned to the tunnels they just came from. "Someone's coming." Dori informed the group. "There are some rock formations over there." Leon pointed out, "Lets hide there."

Everyone hid behind the rocks and watched in secrecy as two individuals appeared on the scene. One was a short young man with blue, feathery spiky hair and bushy black eyebrows, wearing a green and light green coat that went down to his knees, and a black belt at his waist, black pants and shoes.

The second one had a dog-like face, including pointy ears in his brown hair. He was bare-chested, wore blue jeans with a black belt, and wore a black and silver-spiked collar on his neck.

"Are you sure that the voices came from here?" the blue-haired man asked. The dog-faced man could only moan as he held his belly like he was hungry.

"It's noon, I'm tired." the blue-haired man complained, "Toby, you've been exposed to the Moon Drip, haven't you? You have ears and everything."

"I haven't!" the man called Toby answered angrily, "This is just decoration, you know!" "I was only teasing you, idiot." the blue-haired boy scoffed. "Yuka, you meanie." Toby grumbled.

"Moon Drip?" Dori questioned, hearing yet another name that sounded familiar. "They're talking about the curse?" Lucy wondered.

"We got more, incoming." Leon whispered. Sure enough, a third individual appeared, only she was a girl. She had red hair tied in pigtails, and was slightly well-endowed, though not as well as Lucy or Dori. She wore a black, pink and white-trimmed spaghetti dress, black leggings, and high-heeled sandals. She also had long and thin wings at the back, starting from the choker on her neck.

"Yuka, Toby, I have sad news." The girl started. "So it's you, Sherry." Yuka noticed, while Toby just waved in greeting her.

"Angelica was beaten up by someone." the girl, Sherry, informed. "It's just a mouse! Don't give it a name!" Toby barked.

"It's not a mouse!" Sherry snapped, "Angelica is a hunter who travels the darkness. And, love!"

"So that giant rat belongs to her?" Palva questioned, "What's with calling it 'love'?" "Some really weird guys showed up, right? Especially the last one." Lucy added.

"They're not from this island." Natsu noticed, "They smell different." "And they don't seem to have been affected by the curse either." Happy added. "Depends if that dog face and huge eyebrows are normal." Pastry sassed.

Just then, the group heard them question 'intruders' on the island. "And just when we're almost finished collecting the needed moonlight. How sad." Sherry sighed, "Let's get rid of the intruders before the Cold Emperor hears of them. Yes. Before the moon shows its true form." "Yeah." Yuka agreed, while Toby growled in agreement.

"We can't let them live if they've seen Deliora." Sherry warned her companions, "Eternal sleep for the intruders. In other words, love!" "You mean death, right?" Toby questioned with a sweat-dropped expression.

Suddenly, the trio heard a rock fall from within the tunnel they entered in, and they went to investigate it. However, it was nothing more than Happy and Pastry throwing a couple of rocks far into the tunnel in order to distract them. They hid themselves in the ceiling as they passed, leaving the team alone in the cavern with the demon frozen in ice once more.

"Well done, you two." Lucy commended the flying cats. "No problem." Pastry answered. "Aye." Happy agreed.

"What? Why don't we catch them and interrogate them?" Natsu questioned. "Usually, I would be in agreement with you." Palva responded, "But we still don't know much about the situation, right now." "Agreed. Let's look about a bit more." Lucy agreed.

"This is getting really complicated." Natsu grumbled. "I wonder who this Ice Emperor is." Leon wondered.

"Why have they brought Deliora here?" Gray questioned, "And how did they find out where it was sealed?"

"Where it was sealed?" Leon echoed. "This thing was sealed in a glacier on the Northern Continent." Gray explained, "This immortal demon who terrorized the region of Isvan ten years ago. This demon that my master Ur, who taught me magic, gave her life sealing. I don't know what it has to do with the curse on this island, but this thing shouldn't be here!"

He started to emanate icy energy from his fists out of fury. "Ice Emperor, who the hell are you?!" he barked, "I won't let you sully the name of Ur!"

Suddenly, Dori gasped, getting her little sister's attention. "I just realized! Now I remember where I heard the name 'Deliora'. It was in a book within the archives of a large city I visited."

"It was told about in the Western Continent?" Lucy asked in amazement. Dori nodded. "The archives I visited held a lot of historical moments throughout Earthland. This particular book I read was about large-scaled demon attacks. Deliora was among that listing, along with who stopped it, Ur."

"But why were you looking up demons, sis?" Palva questioned. "The demons all had incredible powers, so someone had to at least have the ability to suppress them." Dori explained, "I figured one of them might help me figure out how to suppress your powers without the lance." Palva looked down, saddened at how much time Dori took to help her instead of her own freedom.

"I wonder if this thing is responsible for the curse on the island?" Leon questioned. "That's certainly possible." Gray answered, "It is still alive in there, after all."

"All right, then!" Natsu declared, winding his fist, "All we gotta do is bust up this demon!" "Is force always your first choice?" Dori questioned him. "Just watch me!" Natsu told her.

Before he could act, however, Natsu was stopped by a fist in the face from Gray, sending him crashing into the ground. "Hey, why did you do that?!" Pastry questioned incredulously. "It's not uncommon, but…" Lucy muttered, looking at Gray.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Natsu barked angrily, but he stopped at the expression of fearful anger Gray showed.

"Don't get near it, you Fire Wizard!" Gray snapped, "If that ice melts, and it's freed, no one would be able to stop it!"

"Hold on! I doubt that ice would melt easily if it could seal a demon." Palva considered, stepping in between the two boys, looking to Gray, "Is it really possible for Natsu or I to do that?"

Gray came to the realization of her words, then calmed himself. "No…" he answered, knowing he was acting out of term.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked Gray. "Hey! I'm the one who got punched! You barbarian!" Natsu roared. "Like you're one to talk." Leon pointed out. "Aye." Happy agreed.

"My master, Ur, encased the demon using an Iced Shell spell. That's ice that can't melt." Gray explained, "No matter what kind of magical fire you use, you couldn't melt that ice. If they knew they couldn't melt it, then why move it here?"

"I don't know, but maybe they're trying to melt it somehow?" Lucy assumed. "But why?!" Gray demanded angrily, scaring Lucy.

"Guys, arguing with ourselves is not gonna solve this problem." Dori interrupted them, "Let's list out what we do know; This demon, Deliora, was brought here for a purpose. The three people we saw before need it, along with this Cold Emperor they spoke of. They mentioned something about gathering moonlight, though we don't know why. Based on all that, we could assume the curse on this island is here because of their actions or this demon, or even both. But this is all conjecture. We need more info."

"Right, then let's go find those guys we saw before and beat it out of them." Natsu suggested.

"No." Gray retorted, "We wait here." "For what?" Happy asked. "We wait until the moon comes out." Gray answered.

"We wait?! But it's still noon!" Natsu exclaimed, "No way, no how! I'd be bored to death!"

"Actually, Gray has a point." Dori stopped him, "The fact is all things here point to the moon. The curse, Deliora, and what those guys said before. If we need to find any answers, it has to be when the moon comes out." "I get it." Lucy agreed.

"I can't stand it!" Natsu roared, "I'm gonna go after them!" WHACK! Leon hammered Natsu over the top of his head with the flat of his giant blade, slamming him into the ground, forcing him to go unconscious. "He's really annoying me." he growled.

"Well, that was pretty abrupt." Lucy muttered fearfully. "You really left a lump on his head." Happy noticed the oversized bump from where he was struck. Leon didn't care, as he walked over to the rock formations once more, placing his blade next to him and resting his back on the wall.

"In any case, we should wait until nightfall, when the moon comes out." Dori told her, sitting down on the rocks.

"I should get some shut-eye." Palva added, "Wake me up when the moon appears." She walked over behind the rock formations, and laid down on the ground. A few seconds later, she fell dead asleep.

"That was fast." Lucy gasped, hearing her snore away. "Aye." Happy agreed. "Quick to sleep, slow to wake." Dori chuckled, "That's my little sister for you."

While Gray sat near the edge closest to where the frozen demon was, Dori dragged Natsu near where Palva was, and gathered herself next to Lucy, Leon and the two cats.

"Since we have nothing else to do now, let's get to know one another better." Dori started, looking to Lucy, "So how long have you been part of Fairy Tail?"

"I've only recently joined." Lucy answered, "I've been on a few requests so far, so being on an S-class request is kinda nerve-racking."

"Have you made any other friends there? Besides Natsu, Gray and Happy, I mean?" Dori asked. "Sure. The guild members are fun to be around, and we do get along. Although, they do have the occasional fights." "Sounds like a rowdy bunch." Pastry stated.

Dori looked down, smiling in a sort of sad way as she stated, "Must be nice, having friends you can laugh and fight with. I tried making some a lot of times, but they're hard to keep around when they fear your little sister and her uncontrollable powers."

Lucy and Happy both looked sad at Dori's statement. It made them realize even more how much more lonesome her and Palva's lives were.

"What about Leon and Pastry?" Lucy asked, "Do you consider them friends?" Dori and Leon looked to one another before the former answered, "I guess we are, though it's kinda moved on towards family and comrades."

"So did you guys wanna help out Palva or something?" Happy asked Pastry, "When did you guys meet one another?" "For Leon and I, we met these two about two years ago." Pastry answered, "As for Leon and I, it was about four years ago. He took me in when I was alone, so I consider him the greatest friend anyone could have!"

"Natsu and I are the best of friends, too!" Happy compared, "He's been with me since I hatched." "Since you were hatched?" Pastry questioned, then pondered, _Does that mean he was born here?_

"So what were you doing before you met Palva and Dori?" Lucy asked Leon. "That's what I'm trying to find out." he answered, confusing the blonde mage, "Before meeting Dori and Palva, I had no memories of my life before that. All I do know is my name and my magic, which I don't even know where I learned it."

"So you have amnesia?" Lucy asked him. "We're not sure." Dori answered, "It's more like his memories have been suppressed by his own will, and he hasn't been able to recall who he was before that."

"But it sounds like Pastry seems to know about you before." Lucy assumed, turning to the ginger cat, "Can't he tell you who you were like?" Pastry looked away from everyone's gaze, watching Gray with a concerned look.

"Pastry does know, but he won't tell me." Leon answered, "What he has told me was that I became friends with him four years ago, and that I was part of a dark guild."

"A-A dark guild?!" Lucy gasped. From what she remembered, dark guilds were basically guilds that were not recognized by the Magic Council, due to the fact they refuse to fall under the restrictions other magic guilds had. She and the others had faced was a group called Eisenwald, and they almost killed the guild leaders with a cursed flute called Lullaby.

"So do you know what the guild's name was?" Happy asked Leon. "No, and Pastry won't tell me." Leon answered, looking to his companion, "He only told me that I wasn't ready to hear the truth just yet."

"And you still ain't ready." Pastry said abruptly, turning to him, "Besides, I only know about you based on the two years before meeting Dori and Palva. Knowing about it now will confuse you more than ever. So until then, I won't say anything."

Leon and Pastry glared at one another for a moment, and Dori, Lucy and Happy could see Leon was wanting to know what Pastry knew, even if it would confuse him. However, the intense moment quelled as soon as Leon turned away, looking at the ceiling. He trusted Pastry all this time, so if he wanted to hide what he knew, it must be for a good cause.

The hours went by as the group fell into silence, apart from the snoring coming from Palva and Natsu, who went from being unconscious to asleep. The chill in the air from the giant ice in the center of the cave wasn't bothering them much, but having a large demon incased in the ice, its' shadowed eyes looking down on them, was a bit scary, so they avoided looking at it as best as they could. Even so, the fact they had nothing else to do until nightfall was dull.

"Waiting is pretty boring." Lucy moaned everyone's thoughts. "Wish there was something here that could entertain us while we wait." Pasty moaned.

"Oh, yeah!" Lucy exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention. She pulled out one of her silver Gate keys, and waved it. " **Open, Gate of the Harp: Lyra!** " A summoning circle appeared, and out came a young girl with long chestnut hair, wearing blue dress with hearts printed on her waist, a pink bonnet, small white wings, and a large aqua green harp on her back.

"Heya! Long time, no see, Lucy!" Lyra greeted, waving her hand excitedly. "Hi, Lyra." Lucy greeted back.

"Speaking of which, why don't you call me more often?" Lyra huffed, "I want to be lots and lots more helpful to you! Lucy, you are such a meanie." "A meanie?" Lucy sighed, "But I can only call you three days a month!" "Oh, really?" Lyra questioned in surprise.

"So she's another spirit of yours, huh?" Dori noticed, "Why summon her now?" "Because I thought she could pass the time by singing a song to us." Lucy answered her.

"So she's basically entertainment, and that's all, huh?" Leon questioned, confused at the point of keeping a singer Celestial Spirit among her arsenal.

"So, what kind of song would you like me to sing today?" Lyra asked. "Whatever you want. Your choice." Lucy answered. "I'd like a song about fish!" Happy suggested. "Not exactly an atmosphere to sing about that." Pastry retorted.

"Then I'll play whatever comes to mind!" Lyra decided, giving a thumbs up. "Lyra is very good at singing." Lucy explained. "Mira is also a good singer." Happy added, "She sings me songs about fish, too."

"Mira?" Leon questioned, hearing the name. For a second, a sharp pain shot through his head, and he grasped it with a groan. "You okay?" Dori asked. "I'm fine." he answered, "Don't know what that was all about."

Lyra then pulled her harp out and started to play. It was clear she was an expert at playing the harp, because the moment she started to play, everyone became calm and peaceful. She then began to sing a song to them as she played, and her voice was just as pleasant, if not more so, than the harp.

Lucy, Dori, Leon and the cats were smiling as they closed heir eyes, listening to the song happily. Even Palva and Natsu stopped snoring, hearing the song in their sleep as they became more at peace, smiling. Dori looked down at her little sister, and felt relieved to see her smile. It was rare for her to show one, considering she was always in worry of her powers. So whenever she showed it, it was like a glistening crystal in the sunlight.

For some reason, she was recalling back to the old day, when she was a lot younger, learning to use Crystal magic. She remembered how hard it was when all she had to work from was a book she read and an old man she and her sister met long ago. However, no matter how many times she failed, all she had to do was think about why she wanted to learn magic in the first place. All for the sake of her sister. She wanted to protect her from the people who wanted her dead. She wanted to make sure others wouldn't harm her, nor would she accidentally harm them back. And according to what the old man said, her magic was special and strong enough to protect Palva. That's why she kept training herself, both in her magic, her physical strength, and even researching all that she could in order to find a cure for her. She devoted so much of her life for her sister, that she barely ever had time for herself. Which was why she kept asking herself one question; What would she do after she helped her sister? Would she continue to protect her, or would she find a new path in life to take? What did she want to do for her future?

Just then, she heard sniffling from Gray. She looked at him sitting from afar, his shoulders shaking. Dori thought she saw a tear drop falling from his face. "Hey, uh… Gray?" Lucy called to him, Lyra stopped playing as everyone looked to him. "What?" he asked, hiding the fact he was crying.

"Are you crying?" Pastry asked. "It's true that Lyra has the power to sing songs that reflect what's in people's hearts." Lucy realized.

"Gray was crying." Happy noticed. "No, I wasn't." He denied, though it was obvious this retort was forced.

"Maybe you sing a happier song there, Lyra." Dori suggested. "Oh! Then tell me that before hand." the spirit answered.

"Now that I think about it, what if someone comes along?" Gray realized, "Be quiet." "I guess…" Dori sighed, turning to Lyra, "Sorry about that. You are a beautiful singer, so thanks for singing to us." "Sure! No problem!" Lyra answered happily.

Since singing was out of the question, the team decided to rest themselves until nightfall. Everyone but Dori and Gray fell asleep, keeping watch over everyone else.

"You sure you don't need any sleep?" Dori asked Gray, sitting right next to him, "You look emotionally drained."

"I'm fine." Gray answered with a slightly firm tone, "You can sleep if you want." "Thanks, but I'm use to this." Dori answered, "Leon and I usually take turns on watch to protect my little sister from nighttime attacks."

Gray looked to Dori, then back at the demon in the ice. As much as he knew how hard his early life was, he could tell Dori and Palva must've had it worse than him. From what he heard about her sister's powers, to mentions of people trying to kill them, friends they could not have, and everything Dori did to get stronger and smarter to help Palva out. Gray couldn't understand how hard that must've been for them.

For a long time, they sat in silence, watching the mist past along the ground near the ice. Then as they were starting to doze off, the ground started to shake beneath them, and the cave ceiling started to shake loose some rocks. Leon was the first to wake, grabbing his blade immediately.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked. "It's night?!" Natsu exclaimed. "Why is it shaking in here?" Palva questioned.

Just then, a purple magic circle suddenly appeared on the ceiling above the demon, and with it came what looked like rain falling on top of the ice. "Light's coming down from…" Lucy started. "…the ceiling!" Leon finished. "Why is it raining?" Natsu questioned. Everyone was too startled to figure out how it appeared, but they could tell, based on the hue, what it must've been.

"That purple light… It's the light of the moon!" Gray realized. "What the heck?" Pastry gasped. "What's going on?!" Happy questioned.

"Guys, we need to find the source of the magic circle!" Dori ordered everyone, standing up quickly, "Palva, Natsu, can you sniff out where this is coming from?!" "Leave it to us!" Natsu answered, and they raced back into the tunnels, the Dragon Slayers sniffing for where the fresh air was coming from.

They found some carved stairs that led back up to the ruins once more, and they could see the magic circle on the ground before them, along with on top of the ceiling. "A magic circle is spread over the center of the ruin!" Gray noticed. "Quick, to the top!" Dori ordered, and they all raced to find a way upwards.

They went up a few more levels, and found themselves outside again. It would've felt relieving to be back in the fresh air again, but their minds were too focused on finding the source. Still, they could easily tell their hypothesis was true; It was nighttime, and the purple moon was out. They also found the source of the magic circle ahead of them. A group of purple-robed individuals, with their faces covered with cloth, were standing in a circle, chanting a magic spell as the moonlight gathered and focused down upon them, entering the magic circles they summoned from the sky downward.

Everyone gathered behind a ruined wall, watching them as they were chanting. "What's that?" Natsu questioned. "Looks like they're gathering the moonlight, alright." Leon noticed, "Just like those guys said before."

"What are they trying to do by shining it on Deliora?" Lucy wondered. "It's a spell in Belianese… Moon Drip!" said another voice. For some reason, Lyra was still about, and was within their group.

"Wait, you're still here?" Lucy questioned her spirit. "I see. So that's it." Lyra understood. "What? What is it?" Lucy asked.

Dori suddenly gasped as she remembered something. "Hold on! I just remembered where I read about Moon Drip before!" she realized, drawing the team's attention, "This is bad…" "Why? Why is it bad?" Palva questioned.

"They're using Moon Drip to resurrect that demon!" Lyra told them. "You're kidding me! Iced Shell is ice that can't be melted!" Gray barked back.

"Unfortunately, there is a spell that can diffuse any form of magic, and that's Moon Drip." Dori retorted, "By gathering the magic of the moon, they can surely melt that ice, too." Lyra nodded in confirmation at her words.

"These guys don't know the horror of Deliora!" Gray growled. "I think the curse that the people believe is on this island is a side-effect of the Moon Drip." Lyra stated, "The collected magic from the moon is contaminating their bodies. That's just how powerful a magic it is."

"Of course! It must be the reason why they turn into demons!" Palva realized, growling angrily, "These jerks are attempting to free Deliora, and in the process, they're affecting the rest of the island with their consequences!" "Damn them!" Natsu growled.

"Look! Someone's coming!" Leon warned them, placing his hands on the Dragon Slayers's shoulders. Sure enough, they saw people approaching the scene. They recognized three of them as the ones they saw before in the cave, but the fourth one was new. He wore a demon-like knight helmet, hiding his face. He also wore a white and brown-trimmed cloak over his clothing, which was a blue coat that reached his knees, black pants, and steel leggings and feet. As they entered in onto the scene, the heroes were able to tell that this guys had an air of importance on him, meaning he might've been the Cold Emperor the other three spoke of.

"Damn it, I'm all sleeping after waking up at noon." Yuka complained, while Toby started to sleep as he walked, "And we never did find the intruders." "If they even existed!" Toby abruptly woke up and argued.

"It is saddening, Cold Emperor." Sherry stated, "There seemed to be intruders around noon, but we failed to catch them. I cannot express my love like this." "Intruders…" the Cold Emperor echoed. His voice sounded familiar to Gray, who expressed a look of shock.

"So this guy's the Cold Emperor." Leon confirmed. "What a big shot…" Lucy scoffed, "He's even wearing a funky mask. "Really? I think it's cool." Happy retorted. "Does that really matter, right now?" Pastry questioned the two, "We found who's in charge here!"

"Has Deliora been revived yet?" the Cold Emperor questioned, "At this rate, either today or tomorrow…" Sherry answered. "Which one is it?!" Toby demanded.

"Finally…" the Cold Emperor spoke, "As for the intruders, I will brook no interference." "Yes. The only other people here should be the villagers on the far side of the island." Sherry recalled.

"Destroy the village." the Cold Emperor ordered. Yuka, Toby and Sherry responded in confirmation.

"What?!" Natsu gasped. "But the people in the village had nothing to do with it!" Lucy pointed out. "Yeah. We're the intruders, not them!" Pasty growled.

"I would rather avoid bloodshed, however…" the Cold Emperor started. Gray was petrified to hear him speak. "That voice… It couldn't be…" he realized. Dori looked to Gray, realizing he was recognizing the voice. However, before she could question on it, someone else took action.

"I CAN'T STAND SNEAKIN' AROUND ANYMORE!" Natsu roared, standing on top of the broken wall. He inhaled deeply and spewed a large amount of flames upwards as he roared, "YOUR 'INTERFERES' ARE RIGHT HERE!" Only a blind and deaf person would've not seen Natsu's declaration, as it drew the Cold Emperor's, his minions and the chanters' attention.

"What a way to be subtle, Natsu!" Dori barked, standing up, seeing that hiding was clearly out of the question. "Well, I guess we have to do this now, don't we?" Lucy questioned. "Let's heat up this Cold Emperor!" Palva declared, readying her lance. "This stops here!" Leon barked, readying his sword. Lyra wanted to help, but considering she lacked combat skills, Lucy instead sent her away back to her realm.

"That mark…" Sherry noticed Natsu's guild emblem, "They're from Fairy Tail." "I see. So the people from the village requested a guild save them." Yuka summed up.

"What are you doing?" the Cold Emperor questioned his subordinates, "Eliminate the village now." Everyone was startled that he wanted to continue that order.

"Why? They're not at fault!" Natsu defended. "You wanna destroy someone, trying beating us!" Palva taunted, "Leave the village alone!" "Anyone who interferes or plots against me is my enemy." the masked man answered.

This made Natsu and Palva snap, and they rushed forward at the guy, with Gray joining them as well. "I'll stop this crazy ritual of yours!" Gray barked, creating magic from his hands, and sending a wave of spiked ice along the ground towards the enemy. They all leapt back to avoid the attack, and the Cold Emperor summoned a magic circle with one hand, slamming it onto the ground, and sending a wave of his own ice, which had a green hue to it, back at Gray's magic. They collided, rose bigger and bigger in the air, until the ice shattered into nothing.

"He also used ice?" Happy exclaimed. "Guess that's why he's called 'Cold Emperor'!" Pastry understood.

Gray readied himself to fight as he growled, "Lyon…!" The others were startled at this. He knew who his real name was?

"You bastard… Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" Gray hissed. "Hmph! How long has it been, Gray?" the man called Lyon asked, causing the team to become more startled that he knew Gray, too.

"What's the meaning of this?" Gray demanded. "I can't believe YOU were the wizard the villagers called here." Lyon stated, "Did you come knowingly? Or is it a coincidence? Well, no matter."

"Cold Emperor Lyon, you know him?" Yuka asked. Lyon didn't answer, but instead ordered, "Go now. I can handle things here myself." They understood and disappeared.

"Leon, go back to the village, now!" Dori ordered with a wave of her hand. "I got it!" he responded, and he took off, mentally thinking to himself how difficult it will be to mistake his name from their enemy's.

"You think we'll let you go so easily?!" Natsu demanded, rushing at Lyon. "Stop Natsu! Don't move!" Gray begged to him, but too late. Lyon send a blast of icy energy from his hand, surrounding Natsu. Ice started to cover his body, leaving his head and limbs out.

"What's going on?!" Palva demanded, bracing herself against the cold. She then felt her weapon hand and arm freeze up, and she looked down to see it being frozen like Natsu's body.

"Natsu!" "Palva!" Lucy and Dori exclaimed in horror, hiding behind a crystal wall Dori summoned. "Happy! Pastry! Take care of Lucy and Dori!" Gray ordered.

They understood, but Dori added, "Pastry, grab Palva, now!" "You got it!" he answered, and he rushed in and grabbed Palva back her clothing before taking off into the sky with Lucy and Happy.

"Go with them, Dori!" Gray ordered. "But what about you and Natsu?!" Dori asked, "No, I'm not leaving you here!"

Lyon attempted to attack the airborne group, but Gray stopped him with his own ice, forcing Lyon to summon a shield to protect himself instead. Dori came around the crystal wall as the ice around Natsu's body took shape and became just a big round block.

"Happy, are you abandoning Natsu?!" Lucy questioned. "He got encased by magic that freezes air!" Happy explained, "At this rate, we'll be turned into ice next!"

"But, what'll happen to Natsu?!" Lucy wondered, fearing for Natsu's safety. "Don't worry about it!" Palva assured her and Natsu, "My sister is there. She won't let anything happen to him!" "Besides, we need to be around to save the village!" Pastry added, "If we all get frozen, who'll protect them?!"

Lucy heard sniffling, and looked to see Happy holding back the tears as he flew her to the village. Realizing how hard it must've been for Happy to leave Natsu behind, she could only hope that Palva and Pastry words were right. Plus, she knew Natsu, and nothing could keep him down.

"I'm sure Natsu'll be fine! You think ice would work against the Salamander?" Lucy said with confidence to Happy. "Aye." Happy agreed.

Palva looked at her frozen arm, and tried melting the ice off with flames. No dice. "It's pretty tough stuff." she muttered to Pastry. "Let's get you out of the range of that guy's magic, then we'll see what happens." the ginger cat answered as they all flew towards the village.

* * *

Down below, Leon rushed towards the village as well, seeing the two cats carry the girls off. "Gotta get there fast." he barked, and he focused himself as he summoned a blue magic circle. "Requip! Swift Armor!" He changed his top, his leggings, his arms and his weapon one at a time, until he was in a new set of light-weight armor.

It was composed of a zipped up, cheetah-patterned and black-trimmed vest over his bare chest, skin-tight black jeans, a brown sash around his waist that trailed down in the back, steel-toed running shoes, a shoulder guard and armguard on his right arm that were patterned like his vest, black fingerless gloves on both arms that went up to his upper arms, and a black and silver-studded collar around his neck. He also carried a jungle-like spear in his right hand.

"Time to catch up!" he declared, and he made a mad dash that, thanks to his new armor, dramatically increased his speed, as he zig-zagged through the jungle.

* * *

Seeing his prey leave, Lyon looked to the trio confronting him and said, "So you bought enough time for those girls and cats to get away? No matter… Sherry and the rest should have no problems against them."

"Don't underestimate Fairy Tail mages, you!" Natsu barked, waddling angrily with his main body covered in ice. "You shouldn't underestimate my sister, either." Dori added, "Plus, our guardian is also heading there, too. So you can be sure those guys will protect the village!"

Just then, Gray looked to Natsu trapped in the ice, and kicked him. Natsu then started rolling down the hill uncontrollably, while screaming, "What are you doing?!"

"What was that for, Gray?!" Dori questioned his motives. "Go after him." Gray told her, glaring at Lyon, "I'll take care of him."

The crystal mage could see that he was taking this personally. Plus, she realized what he meant to do when sending Natsu rolling off like that. Nodding in understanding, she took off after Natsu, skidding down the rocky ground after him.

It took a bit of a while in order for Dori to reach the bottom of the hill. Looking back up at the top where she left Gray, she wondered if he was capable of defeating the guy. Considering they were both Ice mages, it was hard to tell who would be the victor. However, under his condition, she hoped that Gray would keep himself cool under pressure when facing Lyon. "I wonder how they know one another?" she muttered.

"Damn that Gray! I'll remember this!" Natsu's voice rang through the jungle. Dori turned and saw some flames off in the distance, realizing they belonged to Natsu.

"Natsu!" she called out, racing towards him. As soon as she was in visual range of Natsu, he called back, "Dori! Did Gray send you tumbling as well?!" "No, he sent me after you to make sure you were safe." she replied, "Right now, he's facing Lyon up there."

Natsu ignited his hands and attempted to melt the ice on his body, but it was proving useless. "What's with this ice, though?" he asked, "I can't melt it with fires…" "It's not your natural ice, that's for sure." Dori stated, "We should probably get out of the range of that guys' magic in order for it to disappear."

Natsu panted after his failed attempt to melt the ice, then stated, "We don't have time for this! We've got to get to the village!"

"I know, but don't worry." Dori assured him, "Lucy and Happy are getting there now, as well as Leon, Palva and Pastry. I'm more worried about Gray, right now. His emotions have been all over the place since we saw Deliora. He might not be mentally prepared to face that guy."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Gray's tough." Natsu assured her, "But just to be safe, let's go back up there and find him again." "Okay." Dori understood, and the two raced back towards the ruins again, with Natsu hobbling along, screaming, "Damn it! It's hard to run like this!"

With Natsu struggling to catch up with Dori, getting back up to the top of the temple took a lot longer than before. Natsu questioned whether Dori could break the ice with her magic, to which she answered that it would be too risky, fearing she might break him along with the ice. Still, she assured him that once they were out of Lyon's range of magic, the ice would disappear.

When they reached the top once again, they found the place completely deserted, except for one person on the ground. "It's Gray!" Dori gasped. They rushed over to him, seeing how much of a beating he took from fighting Lyon. It was obvious he lost the fight, but he was still conscious.

"Wake up, Gray!" Natsu barked at him. Gray struggled to look up at the two over him. "How lame…" Natsu scoffed, "You sure got beaten to a pulp." "I knew he was not prepared to face him." Dori stated, "Still, Natsu, show a little more tact, will ya?"

"Natsu…Dori…Why are you here?" Gray moaned. "We wanted to see if you needed backup, but I guess the fight's over, huh?" Natsu noticed, "Let me help ya! Come on, let's go."

He reached down and started to pick up Gray. "Wait! I can walk…" Gray retorted. "Don't be ridiculous. You can barely stand, let alone walk." Dori pointed out, "Now let us carry you back to the village."

"Where's Lyon?" Gray asked. "Don't know." Natsu answered, "There's no one else here, and the ceremony has ended." Gray suddenly felt his legs give way again, and he almost fell had Natsu had ahold of him. He saddled Gray over the ice surrounding his body, holding him with his arms and head.

"You sure you can carry him?" Dori asked, "I wouldn't mind carrying him, as long as he doesn't touch me in weird places." "Nah, I got him." Natsu answered, "Man, if Lucy and the others gets attacked by them, it'll be our fault!" "I'm more worried about Palva." Dori added, "I'm just hoping she doesn't do anything drastic while we are gone."

As they started to walk back the way they came, Gray thought back to the days when he was younger, and was about to set out to fight Deliora out of revenge. _"Stop that! You'll never defeat something like Deliora! It's impossible for you, Gray!"_ Ur's last warning to him still echoed in his ears. He then recalled what he told Natsu before.

 _(Flashback) "As if! I'm going on an S-class mission!" Natsu barked at Gray. "You ain't got the skills to handle it!" Gray argued back._

His mouth quivered at the comparison between what he told Natsu and what Ur told him. He was no better than what he told him at the docks.

"Natsu…" Gray moaned, getting the two's attention, "I had no right to reprimand you. No right at all!" He started to tear up at how weak and pathetic he was. "Gray…" Dori muttered, seeing him in despair.

"DON'T START FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU LOST, GRAY!" Natsu roared, startling Gray and Dori, "We are Fairy Tail! The guild that doesn't know the meaning of the word 'stop'! We can't live if we don't keep running forward!"

Dori just stood there, watching Natsu waddle off with Gray, complaining about how running with the ice and Gray was a pain. She had never encountered a guy like Natsu before. Yes, he was an idiot, and acted like a child from time to time. But there was a determination deep down inside him that you rarely see from a common person. He was straight-forward and caring for his friends at the same time. Maybe she was wrong to judge him so quickly; He might just be the person to help Palva with her powers.

"You comin', Dori?" Natsu called back to her. "Oh, yeah!" Dori answered, and she chased after him and Gray.

* * *

Back at the village, Lucy and Palva were explaining to the villagers about what they discovered at the ruins. Before that, the ice around Palva's arm and hand had weakened, and it easily broke off her after a good hammering. Leon had just arrived to the scene as Lucy was just about finished explaining about their discovery.

"…So that's how it is. The guys who are coming to attack you are the culprits behind your current appearances." Lucy finished.

"They're coming here?" one of the red male demons asked. "They are." Palva answered, "Though this might be your chance to get them so you can find a way to turn back to your original selves." The villagers questioned if they were able to pull off such a feat.

"Even if you say that, those three are probably mages." Happy stated, "They won't be captured so easily." "That's true. We have more people, but our only capable mages are Palva and Leon." Lucy pointed out.

"If I recall correctly, you are a mage, too!" Pastry pointed out, irritated she wasn't planning on fighting, "Surely, you're able to fight. You have your spirits, plus you have a whip."

"Even so, we don't know what kind of magic they are capable of." Palva noted, "Plus, we're not sure how or when they'll arrive here. We need a plan of action."

Just then, Lucy gasped as she snickered, "I just thought of the perfect plan!" "I have a bad feeling about this." the cats stated simultaneously.

"What's with all the ruckus?" the demon chieftain parted through the villagers, approaching the mages. "Please hear us out!" Lucy begged him, "Enemies will be attacking this place soon."

"Enemies?" the chieftain echoed in surprise. "Right. They were staying in the ruins on the other side of this island." Leon explained, "The magic they were doing there is why you are in these forms."

"I've never even heard such a thing!" the chieftain barked angrily, "Haven't you destroyed the moon yet?!"

"That's the thing; We don't need to destroy the moon, now that we found the source of your problem." Palva argued, "All we have to do is snatch those guys and…"

"No! Destroying the moon's the only way!" the chieftain retorted. He was acting so rashly, two of the villagers had to restrain him and pull him away in order to prevent a scene.

"Well, his head's been in the moonlight for far too long." Pastry muttered as everyone watched the villagers leave with the old man.

"Please don't mind him." the red male demon assured the group, "He must still be affected from the death of his son, Bobo, after all."

"I understand that." Palva agreed, turning to the demons, "Don't worry about a thing. We'll capture those guys when they arrive."

"But how?" the demon asked. They heard Lucy chuckle, and turned to her as she declared, "Leave everything to Fairy Tail's #1 Celestial Spirit mage, the great Lucy! This will definitely work out."

"Someone's overconfident." Leon muttered. "I still have a bad feeling about this." Pastry moaned.

Lucy pulled out another key from her satchel, only this one was golden. " **Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!** " A magic circle appeared, and someone erupted from the ground. It was a pinked haired young woman with a petite figure, dressed in a classic maid's outfit, and wore shackles around her wrists.

"Did you call for me, Princess?" Virgo asked. Due to her cute looks, all of the villagers were in love with how she looked. "What's with their reaction?" Lucy wondered in a confused tone.

"Why am I getting a different vibe from her than from the other two I've seen?" Palva questioned, looking at the golden key in Lucy's hand, "The key is a different color."

"That's because Virgo is one of the twelve Zodiac Keys." Lucy explained, "I already have three other Zodiac Keys, but Virgo's perfect for what I have in store."

Some time later, Virgo had just finished what Lucy had in store for the enemies arriving. As it turned out, the spirit possessed Earth magic, and was incredibly gifted in making holes in the ground. However, what Lucy had in mind for trapping the enemies was…well, to put it in nicer terms, old-school.

"Princess, the preparations are complete." Virgo informed Lucy. "Thanks, Virgo. You're as fast as I had expected." Lucy replied. "Are you punishing me?" Virgo asked. "I was praising you!" her 'princess' barked.

"Hey, Lucy?" Happy started. "What is it?" Lucy asked. "I seriously think that you might actually be an idiot." the blue cat stated. "You actually said that so indifferently…" Lucy growled quietly.

"Honestly, I'm in agreement with Happy." Palva added, "They would have to be stupid to fall for such a old-school trick." "What are you talking about?" Lucy questioned, looking back at her work, "It's a perfect pitfall."

"Yeah…it's thought like these that make you an idiot." Happy stated. "You can clearly tell what it is based on the grass covering the hole." Pastry pointed out.

"There's only one entrance to this village, right?" Lucy analyzed, "Which means that the enemy will surely come from there."

"They could also climb over the walls in all other parts of the village, you know." Leon pointed out, "In fact, there are dozens of ways to get into this village without going through the gate."

"I don't think there's anybody who would fall for that." Happy stated. One of the green female demons agreed to Happy, as did the red demon, and even Virgo, irritating Lucy that even her own spirits found the pitfall unsuccessful.

"Lucy, something is coming this way!" the gatekeeper called down to her. "It's them. Open the gate!" Lucy ordered.

As the gate was opening, Palva and Leon readied their weapons, prepared to fight the oncoming foe, should they obviously fail in falling into the pitfall. "Now, come on…" Lucy muttered, eagerly waiting for the opponent to fall for the trap. They could see who was arriving at the gate; Natsu, Gray and Dori.

"Hey guys! You're safe?!" Natsu called out. Everyone was startled that they were the ones arriving, especially considering that they were clearly rushing towards the pitfall.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" Lucy begged of him, "I said stop! Stop!" Natsu skidded to a halt, wondering why Lucy would ask for that. Dori then looked at the trap in front of them, and instantly knew what it was.

"Really? You made one these to trap the guys?" Dori asked in a bemused tone. "What's this?" Natsu asked, and he stepped onto the grass, shocking Lucy. Instantly, the grass caved in, and he fell directly into the pitfall, screaming.

Everyone was in bewilderment at two things; the fact that the pitfall worked, and the level of stupidity Natsu just displayed. "Someone actually fell for it." The red demon muttered. "His resumé of stupidity just keeps getting longer." Palva added. "Failed…" Lucy sobbed.

"Are you seriously THAT dumb to fall for a pitfall like that?!" Dori insulted into the hole. "Don't blame me! I'm not the one playing pranks at a time like this!" Natsu barked back.  
"Nope. That was Lucy's idea." Pastry accused. "I knew it!" Natsu barked. "You've got it all wrong!" Lucy whined.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are safe!" Happy called to the three. "Yeah, we're fine." Dori assured them, "But unfortunately, Gray's been taken down." "Did he get beaten up by that masked guy?" Lucy asked Natsu. "Yeah, by the looks of it." he answered.

Just then, Natsu noticed something had changed on him. The ice encasing his body suddenly vanished. "The ice broke!" he gasped, "Even though fire didn't work?" "J-Just as I planned it." Lucy stammered for credit.

"Princess, I believe the effect of the magic most likely weakened when distanced from the mage." Virgo informed her. "Just like what happened to me." Palva stated. "All right!" Natsu cheered.

Dori help Natsu out with Gray, settling him down on the ground on his back. "He's seen better days." Leon noted. "Gray…" Lucy muttered, worried about him.

"So how come those other guys haven't gotten here yet?" Natsu asked. "Come to think of it, they are taking a while getting here." Palva pointed out, "They clearly left before you did."

"Yeah, and with that ice encasing him, getting here took longer." Dori added, her concerns growing deeply, "They must be planning something to take such a long time getting here."

"Then this is our chance!" Lucy declared, "Quickly, cover up the hole!" "You're still betting on the pitfall?" Natsu asked. "Don't. Say. Anything." Dori sternly warned Natsu, seeing as he had no right to say that the pitfall wouldn't work.

Just then, Leon sensed something, and looked up into the sky. "Guys, we have incoming from above!" he warned the group, and they all looked up. Sure enough, they could see a shadow of something large approaching them from the sky. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was none other than the giant rat they fought before, twirling his tail like a helicopter blade, and carrying a large bucket in his hands.

"From the sky?! My pitfall's useless then!" Lucy argued angrily. "Like it was useful before." Pastry sassed. "Now's not the time for that!" Dori retorted, looking closely at the rat's back, "I can see those three mages on top of that rat. They must be planning something!"

Just then, something green fell out of the bucket the rat was holding, and it fell towards where Lucy stood. "Jelly?" Lucy questioned, seeing it draw closer to her. "Lucy!" Natsu barked, grabbing her and diving out of the way as the green goo hit the ground, causing it burn a hole in it.

"What's with that dangerous smell?" Natsu questioned, while Lucy looked terrified. "It's acid!" Palva gasped. "And worse of all, they have a whole bucket full of it!" Pastry added, looking up.

"How hideous." Palva and Natsu heard Yuka's voice as the rat was right above them, "The moon drip's effects have turned these humans into such hideous forms." "They're just like demons… Deliora's spawn." Sherry compared, "How unpleasant." Toby howled in agreement.

Palva and Natsu growled angrily after what they heard, then heard the girl order her rat, Angelica, to 'do it'. On cue, the rat swung the bucket, and the acid jelly came out, large enough to incinerate the entire village. "How do we defend against a thing like that?!" Lucy cried.

The two Dragon Slayers jumped into action as Natsu ordered, "Everyone, gather into the center of the village! Happy, shall we fly?!" "Aye, sir!" Happy answered. "Pastry, with me!" Palva called out. "You got it!" Both Dragon Slayers leapt up, and their companions caught them by the back of their clothing, taking them to the falling jelly.

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped. "Palva?!" Dori exclaimed. Everyone was moving into the center of the village, as told. However, the chieftain was not moving from his son's grave. "Damn it, old man! Get over here!" Leon barked, grabbing him by his cape and dragging him with everyone else.

"Are you all fired up, Palva?!" Natsu asked. "Let me show you!" Palva answered, "Send me flying!" "Alright!" Pastry answered, and with a circle throw, he let go of her and sent her up a bit higher.

"Flames on my right hand! Flames on my left!" Natsu chanted, summoning flames in each hand, "You put them together…" He clapped his hands together, forming a massive fireball from them, "And you get **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!** " he tossed the flames up at the giant amount of jelly.

"Let me burn your jelly to a crisp!" Palva barked, tightening her muscles as her whole body was encased in powerful flames, " **Fire Dragon's Eruption!** " The flame in her body suddenly shot into the air like a volcano, aiming in the same spot Natsu's attack was at.

Both flames combined with the jelly, and there was an intense explosion. The impact of their attacks spread the jelly outwards, creating a gap that the villagers could take shelter under.

"Did they set off a bomb?!" Yuka questioned in amazement. "They're Fire mages!" Sherry gasped.

"Everyone, get close!" Dori ordered to the villagers, and they drew close as she summoned a magic circle on the ground with both hands, " **Crystal Dome!** " From the ground, she summoned a half-sphere of crystal that encased the whole lot of them, including Leon and the chief, protect them from any extra jelly should it rain down onto them. Fortunately, thanks to the Dragon Slayers, barely any hit the defense.

As soon as the rain of jelly died down, Dori diffused her spell, just as Natsu and Palva landed back with the group again. They looked about as they saw the horror of what happened to their village. Apart from the spots they stood, everything else was dissolved away, including so much of the ground.

"The village has been completely dissolved." one of the villagers noted. "How disastrous…" another one gasped. "Is everyone okay?" Leon demanded. By the looks of it, everyone was fine. The chieftain, on the other hand, was looking at the spot where Bobo's grave was at. Miraculously, it remained intact. Or at least, it did remain intact until Yuka, who was on the ground with the other two mages, kicked the tombstone down.

"We must destroy all of the Cold Emperor's enemies." Sherry recalled their orders, "Even though we tried to bestow instant death upon them, it seems that a lot of blood must now be spilled."

If the threat wasn't enough to anger the heroes, the fact that they mercifully damaged Bobo's grave seriously ticked them off. All five mages were angrily looking at the three enemies before them. There was no way they either party would let the other escape unscathed.


	3. Clash! Battle for the Villagers!

PREVIOUSLY ON FAIRY TAIL

Team Natsu unofficially took on an S-Rank request to lift the curse off of Galuna Island. They were joined by four individuals who came from the Western Continent, Palva, Dori, Leon and Pastry, who came to Fiore in order to find the Salamander for his help with Palva's uncontrollable flames. When they reached the island, however, they discovered there was more to this curse than they originally thought, including demonic villagers, a giant demon frozen in ice, and a group of mages trying to revive it, led by someone Gray knows named Lyon. And they just recently stopped an airborne assault onto the village from Lyon's minions, Yuka, Sherry and Toby. But now, the real fight begins as the mages of both sides are gonna square off against one another to decide the fate of the villagers!

* * *

"Fifty villagers and five mages. This should make about 40 minutes." Yuka analyzed, with Toby growling in agreement.

"Let's go, guys!" Natsu declared, getting into a fighter's stance. "Right." Lucy, Palva and Dori answered, glaring daggers at their opponent, while Leon didn't have to say anything to show how ready he was.

"We're with you guys!" Happy counted himself and Pastry, "That makes seven mages!" "Yeah, I don't think they count us." Pastry muttered.

The village chieftain looked at what they had done to his son's gravestone with intense anger. "How dare they… How dare they destroy Bobo's grave? Unforgivable!" He wanted to attack them for what they had done, but the villagers restrained him, knowing it was a hopeless attempt at revenge. "Get him out of here!" the red male demon ordered, and they carried him away.

"I'll fight, too!" Gray had just regained consciousness, and stood up to join the group in their fight.

"Gray, you came to?" Lucy noticed. "Forget it. You're in no condition to fight." Dori retorted. "Go with them. You'll just drag us down." Natsu warned him.

Gray was breathing heavily as he growled, "Guys, don't underestimate me-." He was interrupted by Natsu's fist to his gut. "Injured patients should just stay asleep." he ordered.

Gray struggled to grab Natsu's scarf as he gasped, "You bastard… Someday, I'll…kill…" He lost consciousness as Natsu caught him, knowing what was best for Gray.

"But why?" Lucy questioned his actions, as did Palva. "That's just Natsu's way of showing compassion." Happy explained, "Gray's in no condition to fight now."

"I see. So it's tough love, huh?" Palva questioned. "He cares about his friends that much, that he would not let them throw their lives away." Dori noticed, smiling a bit at Natsu's actions, "He's forceful, but deep down, he's a nice guy."

"Natsu, I'll take him back with the rest of the villagers." Leon told the Dragon Slayer, taking Gray off of him, "They might need someone to protect them if there are any extra ambushes." "Got it. Thanks." Natsu answered, "The rest of us will handle these guys."

"Pastry, let's go help them!" Leon barked, racing off with the villagers with Gray over his shoulder. "You got it!" the ginger cat answered, flying after him.

"We won't let you escape." Sherry threatened, "Total annihilation. That was the Cold Emperor's orders. Angelica!" Her pet rat joined them as it leapt into the air, spinning its' tail again to fly. Sherry leapt onto her back, and charged at the mages.

"We're not gonna let you get away with this!" Lucy declared as the rat passed over their heads and took off after the villagers. Natsu, Happy, Dori and Palva braced themselves as the rat passed them, then heard Lucy's scream as she accidentally grabbed ahold one of Angelica's back claws. "Oh no! I got overexcited and grabbed onto it!" she cried out.

"Did she seriously just do that?" Dori questioned. "Aye." Happy answered. "That's just way too stupid!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I got her!" Palva declared, bending her knees, " **Fire Dragon's Pounce!** " She rocketed towards Angelica with an explosion of flames, attempting to save Lucy. "Palva, wait!" Dori shouted, but too late.

Lucy and Sherry looked back to see the pink-haired girl soar up to them with a battle cry. "How is she catching up to us?!" Sherry questioned. Before she could get an answer, Palva spun and kicked Angelica in the belly with a fiery pair of feet, causing her to squeal in pain.

"Angelica!" Sherry gasped in horror. "Nice kick!" Lucy cheered. However, her praise was short-lived as Palva's attack caused Angelica to fall back down to the ground again, heading towards the forest. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT WITH ME ON IT?!" Lucy exclaimed before the giant rat crashed into the ground.

"Whoops." Palva realized, "Sorry 'bout that! Wait for me!" she unleashed flames from her feet, and shot towards the crash site.

"Well, he's gonna be ticked." Yuka muttered. "I don't have any tits!" Toby exclaimed. "I wasn't talking to you." Yuka corrected.

"Hope she didn't kill her." Natsu said in a bemused tone. "That's…up to debate." Dori answered in a disparaging tone, "She could've been crushed by the rat."

"I'll go check on it." Happy told them, and he flew off towards the crash site. "Okay. We're counting on you." Dori told him as he flew away. This left the two to face Yuka and Toby alone.

"So, wanna take one a piece, Natsu?" Dori asked, "I wouldn't mind handling the dog guy." "Then I'll handle mega-brows." Natsu responded.

He leapt in first, and head-butted Toby out of the way, causing him to slide back. Then while still in midair, he launched a blast of flames from his mouth at Yuka, attempting to burn him. He skidded to a halt on his feet, and turned to see that his flames were blocked by a blue wave of energy formed from Yuka's hand.

"Such ferocious flames." Yuka noted as the energy vanished, "Could you be the rumored Salamander from Fairy Tail?" Natsu didn't respond to this, but looked to see Dori leap into action, performing a one-handed handstand as she shouted, " **Crystal Wall!** " A line of crystals suddenly shot across the battlefield, forming a dividing wall between Toby and the other two. She flipped herself to the side Toby was on, who got back up onto his feet again quite easily.

"There! Now we don't have to disturb one another's battles." Dori stated, looking back to the wall, "Give him hellfire, Natsu!" "You got it!" Dori answered.

"We were formerly mages from a reputable guild, too. This won't go down so easily." Yuka warned them, "Does the guild 'Lamia Scale' ring a bell? That's where the Iron-Rock Jura comes from…"

Yuka was stopped by Natsu blasting flames at his face, but he blocked the attack with his shield of energy. "Y-You bastard!" the blue-haired opponent barked, "Listen to people when they speak!"

"I don't care!" Natsu barked back, "It doesn't matter which guild you're from, or who your comrades are. You're targeting the villagers, and putting them in danger. In short, you're Fairy Tail's enemy! That's all the reason I need to fight!"

"For the record, I've never even heard of anyone from this continent." Dori added, readying herself against Toby, "But one things for sure; You guys are causing trouble for innocent civilians, and I intend to stop you, here and now!"

Yuka got irritated by both opponents statement, and pointed a flattened hand at Natsu. " **Wave!** " He sent a surge of blue energy shot at Natsu. "I'll crush that easily!" Natsu barked, but he sensed the energy's power, and ducked out of the way as it hit the crystal wall behind him with strong force, causing cracks to form on it.

"Oh, so you noticed its' nature." Yuka noticed. Natsu unleashed flames from his mouth at him, but he blocked with another pulse of energy.

"The pulsing energy emitted from my hands neutralize any magic!" Yuka explained, "In other words, your magic cannot work against me!" "So that's why my fire couldn't get around his attacks." Natsu understood.

"I specialized in fighting off mages when I was with Lamia Scale." Yuka continued, summoning magic circles into both hands, "You know what that means, don't you? All mages are powerless before me!" "We'll see about that!" Natsu barked back.

* * *

"Rowl! You think you're so impressive, putting up a wall like that?" Toby questioned Dori on the other side. "I'm not trying to impress, anyone." she answered, sliding her feet apart in preparation, "Why don't you show me what you're capable of, dog-face."

"Just to warn you, I'm stronger than Yuka!" he informed her. He crossed his arms in front of him, and his fingernails suddenly became longer, sharper and green. "Check out my Mega-Jellyfish Poison Claws!" he declared, "There's a secret hidden within these claws!"

"Let me guess; They will paralyze me if I get hit by them?" Dori assumed absent-mindedly. Toby seemed shocked at her guessing right.

"How did you know?!" he gasped, "Do you have ESP or something?" "No, the answers kinda in the name." Dori answered, "Jeez, and I thought Natsu was the idiot. You're worse."

"Nobody calls me an idiot!" Toby roared, slashing at her with his claws, which she dodged with ease. He kept slashing at her ferociously as he shouted, "With just one touch, it will be the end for you! You'll go numb and waiting for death to approach you!"

Dori flipped away to a safe distance as she summed up, "In other words, your only power comes from those claws? That shouldn't be a problem." She waved a hand at Toby as a magic circle appeared from it. " **Crystal Lock!** " Toby watched as his hands suddenly became encased in crystals, claws and all. "Hey! No fair! Now I can't paralyze you!" he howled.

" **Crystal Launcher!** " she shouted, stomping the ground. A large piece of crystal shot from Toby's feet, sending him airborne.

"Consider this mercy!" Dori barked, forming her hands in front of herself, " **Lacrima Release: Lightning!** " She unleashed a blast of electricity from her hands, striking Toby and electrifying him, causing him to scream in agony. He fell back to the ground again on his back, unable to move, as Dori turned away, shaking her head. "And here I thought you were some dog-like Take-Over mage." she assumed, "That was a waste of magic."

* * *

Natsu leapt up to avoid a pair of energy sphere from Yuka, then ignited flames around his fist, charging at his opponent. " **Wave!** " Yuka stopped Natsu's flaming fist with his barrier of energy. "As I said, my wave erases all magic." Yuka repeated.

"Then I'll just have to do it without magic! That's not a big deal, is it?" Natsu answered, and he punched a fist right through the energy, "Look! I'm breaking through."

Suddenly, his hand looked distorted inside the energy as he screamed out in agony. The energy was inflicting a lot of pain to his arm. "Sticking your bare arm into a magical vortex is far too reckless." Yuka warned, "It'll scatter away." His warning fell on deaf ears, however, when Natsu went even further by sticking his whole upper body inside the energy.

"Magic may not break through your wall, but my bare body sure can!" said the maniacal-looking Dragon Slayer.

Yuka looked terrified at Natsu's insane demeanor, but he calmed himself as he questioned, "And what will you do now, Salamander? You can't use magic inside the wave…"

"So I can use magic outside, right?!" Natsu questioned maliciously, "Thanks for the advice!"

Suddenly, his elbow outside of the wave started to unleash a burst of flames, like a rocket booster. " **Fire Dragon's…** " he roared. "You're using a magic booster to increase the momentum of your bare arm?!" Yuka exclaimed. " **…Flame Elbow!** " With the intense flames used as momentum, his fist followed through, connecting with Yuka's face hard, sending him flying skyward, crashing to the ground with blank eyes.

"Guess that's that." Natsu stated as the crystal wall dividing the two battles suddenly broke and shattered, revealing Dori and her fallen opponent.

"Sounds like your opponent at least gave you something interesting to work with." Dori noticed. "Yeah, but it wasn't a big deal." Natsu answered, "How was that dog guy?" "Far too easy. You'd think S-rank quests had harder opponents than this."

Natsu and Dori went over to the fallen tombstone of Bobo's grave, and Natsu placed it back to normal. "Man, those guys really messed this place up." Natsu stated, "But we'll definitely return the village and all the villagers back to the way they were. I will avenge you."

"We know where the source of the problem is." Dori pointed out as he turned to her, "The problem is how to stop them. They said that the giant demon would be revived either today or tomorrow, and since they are done today, tomorrow's when we have to strike."

"Then we'll have to think of something as we get there." Natsu decided, "Come on, Dori. Let's head back!" "Right!" she answered, chasing after Natsu.

* * *

Back in the jungle, Leon and Pastry became part of the fleeing villagers, while Leon carried Gray over his shoulder.

"So where in the heck are we going?" Leon asked the male red demon. "There's a second campsite we have as a storage place not far from the village." He answered, "We should be safe there."

"I know those guys can handle dealing with the enemy, but I can't help but figure out our next plan of attack." Pastry pointed out. "We'll just have to figure it out as we go." Leon answered, "Right now, Gray and the villagers are our first priority!"

Just as they reached a T-crossing in the forest, Leon sensed something and stopped. "Why'd you stop?" the red demon questioned. Leon didn't answer, but instead looked towards the third path right by them. He could sense someone approaching, and saw a shadow of someone human walking their way. By the sound of shifting metal, the guy was in armor.

"Someone's coming this way." Leon informed the villagers, then to the red demon, "Can you take Gray and make sure he's okay?" "Sure thing." he answered, taking Gray off of the swordsman and carrying him away.

He then turned to Pastry as he ordered, "Go with them. If something happens, come back to warn me, okay?" "You got it!" the ginger cat saluted, and he flew off after the villagers.

Leon turned back to the approaching person, grabbing his sword and holding it out in front of him. He glared at the approaching person as the moonlight started to show the person's appearance. Turns out, it was not a guy, but a woman, with long red hair and brown eyes. Her slender and curvaceous body was hidden by steel armor with a yellow cross-like symbol covering the emblem of Fairy Tail, a blue skirt, black boots, and steel gauntlets.

The moment Leon saw the woman approaching, something pulsed inside of him. He wasn't sure why, but all of a sudden, intense rage surged throughout him. He tightened the grip he had on his sword, but his arms shook from his emotions. He felt he desired a sort of vengeance against the woman, but for what purpose? He didn't even know who she was. The woman came to a halt as she saw him glare daggers at her.

"Who the hell are you, woman?" Leon questioned. "Merely someone who came Fairy Tail to pick up my fellow guild mates for illegally taking on an S-rank request." she answered, "Do not worry. I don't mean any harm to you or the villagers on this island."

"Let me rephrase my question; What is your name?" Leon demanded. He wanted to know the name of the woman before him, intending to confirm his emotions.

The woman grew concerned at the hostility in his posture and his tone, then answered, "My name is Erza Scarlet. I'm an S-rank mage from Fairy Tail."

Leon suddenly felt pain in his head, and his face contorted from it. Shutting his eyes and grimacing in pain, something in the back of his mind came to him. The shadow of a scarlet-haired woman with brown eyes, striking down a woman with her lance. The lack of mercy in her strike and in her eyes. The intense sadness from losing someone he loved. The name 'Erza' ringing in his ears, hearing his own voice echo in rage against it.

He snapped.

Leon roared as he raced forward, taking a leaping dash at Erza, who was startled at his sudden attack, but quickly shifted to becoming serious as she summoned a magic circle, bringing forth a sword she used to defend against Leon's strike. She barely held on as Leon pressed his blade against her's. She then backed off, causing Leon's blade to strike the ground with a powerful force, and she skidded to a halt.

"What is the meaning of this assault?!" Erza demanded. "YOU'LL PAY!" Leon roared, ignoring Erza's words, and he charged at her again. She went on the defensive, parrying Leon's slashes as best at she could, then unleashed a slash at him. Using his blades momentum, he pulled himself back from the slash, coming to a halt. He panted heavily as he was trying to control his emotions.

"Why are you attacking me?!" Erza questioned, entering a fighter's stance, "I don't mean any harm to you! I'm only here to collect the mages from my guild."

"Honestly, I don't have a freakin' clue!" Leon answered, "But…I feel as if I know you, and you killed someone precious to me!"

Erza was taken aback as she defended, "What are you talking about? This is the first time we've ever met! I've never even seen you before!"

"If that's the case, then why the hell do I know you?!" he roared, slamming his greatsword down on the ground, unleashing a shockwave at Erza. She leapt upwards to avoid the attack, but now even more confused than ever. He was strong, no doubt about it, but he held some sort of vengeful grudge against her. What it was, she wasn't quite sure. However, she had to quell his anger, and words were clearly out of the question.

As Erza landed onto the ground, she warned him, "I don't know what is the meaning behind your anger to me. However, if you wish to make an enemy of me, I have no other choice but to strike you down!"

She summoned a magic circle beneath her as she shouted, " **Requip!** " Her whole body glowed, and she stripped her armor, replacing it with new armor that looked like a steel dress with two pairs of metal wings behind her, as well as a headband with small wings on it. She also wielded two swords in her hands. " **Heaven's Wheel!** " she declared, readying her blades.

 _She can Requip her armor, too?!_ Leon questioned in surprise. "Dance my blades!" she chanted, summoning a multitude of swords that circled in front of her, " **Circle Sword!** " She sent the swords flying like a disc at Leon.

" **Aegis Blade!** " he roared, transforming his greatsword into its' shield form and blocking the attack. The grinding of the swords against the defensive magic circle caused sparks to fly as he struggled to hold on. He then thrust his shield-sword upwards, causing the spinning blades to disperse and fall about him.

"Nice trick, but two can play at that game!" he told Erza, and his clothes glowed as he shouted, " **Requip!** " Erza watched in shock as one piece at a time, Leon changed his garments, transforming into a full-body, purple armor with blue trimming, a black and silver cape going down his back, a red jewel at his waist, and a full-helmet that had his blue hair slightly coming out from the back. He also wielded a new two-handed blade, which looked darker and had a spiked hilt. " **Shadow Rain Armor!** " he roared.

 _He uses Requip, just like me!_ Erza realized. She readied herself as Leon swiped his blade, unleashing a black arc of energy from his sword. She leapt above the attack, and unleashed glowing swords like throwing daggers at him. He blocked the blades easily, and blocked as Erza's blades clashed down onto his blade. They both glared fiercely at one another, hoping to put the other down, one way or another.

* * *

In the place the giant rat crashed, Palva was helping out Lucy as they were regaining themselves from the crash. The rat, Angelica, was flat on her back, her belly roasted from Palva's attack, and her eyes blank.

"Sorry. Guess I got carried away." Palva apologized. "At least we stopped them…" Lucy moaned, massaging her head, then looking about, "Hang on, where that woman?"

Suddenly, the two heard sobbing from the cliff above them. They looked up to see Sherry standing there, her eyes filled with tears. "Do you realize what you have done?!" she sobbed, "Now the Cold Emperor's trust in me will come to an end. He'll never love me!" "Love?" both Palva and Lucy echoed in confusion.

"And you even did that to Angelica…" Sherry continued, wiping away her tears and glaring angrily at the two, "That's unforgivable!" "Bring it on!" Lucy barked. "You're the one that's unforgivable!" Palva barked, readying her lance.

Sherry unleashed a magic circle from her hands as she shouted, " **Wood Doll!** " The ground shook by Lucy and Palva as they turned to see a tree suddenly turn alive with branched arms, root for feet, and a hollow mouth and eyes in the trunk.

"That tree came to life?!" Lucy gasped. "Heads up!" Palva barked, pulling her away by the waist as they avoided a strike from its' claws.

"As if a tree can stand up to fire!" Palva declared, dropping Lucy and launching at the tree with her lance blazing, " **Fire Dragon's Javelin!** " she pierced right through the wood doll like a fiery arrow, landing on the other side as it fell backwards, burning away.

"Nice one, Palva!" Lucy cheered. "She pierced my Wood Doll so easily!" Sherry gasped, "Could she be that Salamander I heard of? No, she doesn't fit the person's description."

Palva looked to the woman on the rocks and sassed, "You can't beat me with a walking piece of wood, lovelace! Try something different!" Sherry, irritated at being called 'lovelace', waved her hand and summoned another magic circle. " **Dirt Doll!** " Palva felt the ground beneath her shake even harder as she looked down then jumped out of the way as the very earth itself became a monster like the tree. "Let's see you burn through that, kid!" Sherry sassed back. Palva landed onto the ground, and leapt back again as the doll hammered a fist at the spot she stood.

" **Open! Gate of the Bull: Taurus!** " Lucy waved one of her golden keys, and with a magic circle, she summoned a humanoid bull, white with black spots, wearing only a black swim brief-like shorts, a silver belt with a red and golden buckle, dark boots, a belt wrapped diagonally across his chest, bandages around his forearms, a choker with a golden cowbell, and a giant, two-handed axe.

"I'm not a pervert! Just a fan of pretty ladies!" Taurus roared as he made his appearance. He charged forward, leaping over Palva as he slashed the Dirt Doll in half, causing it to collapse.

"A Celestial Spirit mage?!" Sherry gasped, "And one of the Zodiac gates, too!" "Thanks for the save, Lucy!" Palva called to her, turning to Taurus, "Nice swing, bovine."

"Moo! You're very welcome, little lady!" Taurus answered strongly, "You're cute, but Lucy's body is the best!"

Palva blushed and gaped at the unrestrained statement, then turned to Lucy as she barked, "Why do you have this cow speaking so pervertedly about your body?! What, do you like those kinds of comments?!" "Don't blame me! I didn't make him say those things, and I really hate them!" Lucy retorted.

"Hey, don't ignore me up here!" Sherry barked at the two, getting their attention as she said in a low tone, "However, your Celestial Spirit magic is a bad match against me, and you're gonna find out why."

"Taurus, do it!" Lucy ordered. The bull and Palva charged towards the hill Sherry was on. As they neared it, however, Taurus slowed down to a halt, and Palva stopped a few steps ahead of him as turned and asked, "Why'd you stop?" Lucy also wondered this as well, while Sherry smiled. It was then that Palva noticed Taurus' pupils had vanished, and his eyes glowed a lavender color.

Suddenly, Taurus swung his axe at Palva, who leapt out of the way. "Hey, what's gotten into you?!" she barked, seeing Taurus come at her again and attempted another slash with his axe.

"Taurus! What's the matter?!" Lucy cried out, "Don't attack her! She's my friend!" Taurus didn't stop, as he leapt up and did a hammer slash onto the ground, sending a shockwave that almost hit Palva, had she not leapt out of the way. She tumbled back onto her feet, and saw the bull-man's fists coming at her. She held her lance out in both hands, blocking the attack with the handle. She dug her feet into the ground as she braced herself against his incredible strength.

"Taurus, stop it!" Lucy begged of him. "Moo!" Taurus roared, then he called out, "Miss Lucy, I can't control my body!" Lucy gasped at this fact, while Palva, gritted her teeth, growled, "I bet that lady has something to do with that."

"My magic, Marionette Attack, allows me to manipulate anything that isn't human." Sherry explained, her hands moving like a puppeteer controlling a doll, "That applies to Celestial Spirits, since they are not human." "No way!" Lucy gasped.

Taurus pushed his fist hard on Palva's lance, and she fell backwards, restrained by Taurus's fist pressing the lance against her neck.

"Grr… Get ahold of yourself, would ya?!" Palva barked at Taurus. "I-I'm really sorry, little lady!" he answered.

Palva knew that her hands were the only thing hold the lance from choking her, so she had to use her other limbs instead. " **Fire Dragon's Talon!** " She kicked Taurus at what she thought was his waist, though by the looks of his expression, it was a bit lower. However, it caused him to reel back, allowing Palva to flip back up and, with her foot still flaming, unleashed a spin-kick that sent him flying.

"Man, he almost choked me there." Palva coughed, massaging her throat. "Wow…that first kick was brutal." Lucy moaned, seeing the attack from the sidelines.

"Lucy, can you send that guy back or something?" Palva demanded. "I'll try." the blonde answered, then to Taurus she barked, "Close! Gate of the Bull!" Nothing happened as Taurus rose up to his feet, still under Sherry's control.

"Aren't the spirit and mage required to open and close the gate together?" Sherry questioned maliciously. "Close your gate, Taurus!" Lucy begged. Taurus was struggling, but was unable to follow her orders.

"You can't close it arbitrarily." Sherry repeated to the desperate Lucy, "Oh, I know. Let's play a little game. Let's see what happens first; your hopeless attempt to close the gate, or your life taken away by your own spirit." With a wave of her fingers, Taurus pulled out his axe, and charged at Lucy, who looked petrified at her spirit coming to attack her.

"Lucy!" Palva shouted, racing in front of her as she held out her lance again to block the falling axe that neared Lucy's head. The stem of each weapon connected with one another, and the head of the axe nearly struck Lucy's head. The Celestial Spirit mage fell back onto her butt, shocked and relieved at her life being saved. Palva, once again, found herself in a struggle against Taurus's strength, now added with both of his hand on his heavy axe.

"I wonder how long you can hold before he chops the two of you in half?" Sherry sassed, watching the scene beneath her. Palva dug her feet in once more, trying to gain a firmer grip on the ground than before. She knew her kicks were not gonna reach Taurus with the addition of the axe between them.

"I…don't know how long…I can hold this!" Palva grimaced, turning to Lucy behind her, "Lucy, you have to…get out of the way!"

"I know, but I have to save you, too!" Lucy cried out, and she stood up, pushing next to Palva as additional strength. "Lucy!" she gasped. "Miss Lucy, please moooove!" Taurus begged.

"I wonder if this is all a Fairy Tail mage can really do?" Sherry questioned.

"Please, Taurus! Remember your contract with me!" Lucy cried out. Taurus gasped as he thought back to the day he met Lucy in the cow pasture before. He remembered how me made a vow to protect her and her body from harm.

"You said that you would definitely protect me, didn't you?!" Lucy reminded him. The pupils in Taurus's eyes started to come back, and he was resisting the control on him. He then cried out in agony as he released the grip on his axe and grabbed ahold of his head. The axe fell to the side as Palva fell to her knees, worn out from the strain of holding off Taurus.

"Hey, what are you mumbling about?!" Sherry demanded, "Finish her off completely!" Taurus was unable to resist as he pulled back a punch, ready to hit Lucy with it. However, she didn't move away from where she stood. She believed in him as she shouted, "Celestial Spirit Gates can be open and closed by mutual agreement! Come to your senses, Taurus!"

These words were enough to reach Taurus, and finding the strength in his heart that was connected to Lucy, he halted his fist as it neared Lucy's head. Suddenly, he glowed as his eyes turned back to normal, and he smiled as he disappeared. Lucy managed to close Taurus's gate. Both Palva and Sherry were surprised at this, but only one of them was relieved.

Palva rose to her feet as Lucy looked at her hands, amazed she managed to close Taurus's gate. "I-I did it…" she gasped. "Not bad, Lucy." Palva commended her, "I gotta say, you're full of surprises."

"I never would have though that a Celestial Spirit mage could do that." Sherry muttered, "I miscalculated."

"Looks like I've gotten stronger, now." Lucy realized. "Then lets use that new strength to our advantage." Palva answered, turning to Sherry, "I'll take the front lines. You hold back, and don't summon your Spirits, now that we know what she's capable of."

"Don't leave me out of this." Lucy declared, pulling out her whip in preparation to fight, "After all, I'm a member of Fairy Tail, too!" Palva looked back at her, worried that she might be reckless, but impressed by her daring to continue fighting, despite her disadvantage.

" **Fire Dragon's Pounce!** " Palva shot herself at Sherry like a rocket, but she jumped over her attack, landing down where Lucy was at. Palva then turned and unleashed a blast of flames from her mouth, nearly hitting the girl again had she not dodged out of the way. "Hey, watch where you aim at!" Lucy cried, avoiding the excessive flames that came at her.

"Why you…!" Sherry growled, but she was interrupted by a crack from Lucy's whip as it nearly struck her. "Don't forget I'm fighting you, too!" Lucy reminded her.

"I've had enough! No mercy for either one of you!" Sherry roared, and she performed magic again, " **Marionette Attack! Rock Doll!** ". This time, a giant made out of rocks formed near where Palva was at. "First a tree, then the dirt, now rocks?!" Palva exclaimed.

The Rock Doll unleashed a punch at her, but she leapt out of the way, joining Lucy back down beneath the cliff again. She turned to see the Rock Doll leap down towards her, and she got out of the way. Lucy was scared by the sight of the giant rock monster before the two of them.

Sherry climbed up on top of the rock monster's head, where a crater was to place herself in. "Now, let's see you try to destroy my Rock Doll before it crushes you!"

"Do I even have a spirit that can destroy something that big?!" Lucy questioned, "Palva, incinerate it!" "I'm pretty sure I don't have enough power to destroy that!" Palva noted, causing Lucy to exclaim in shock.

The Rock Doll brought a hammering fist down onto the two, but they ducked out of the way, and ran for their lives as the Rock Doll and Sherry pursued them. It kept trying to attack the two, but they dodged however they could. "Don't let them escape, Rock Doll!" Sherry ordered, "Catch those two little kids!"

"Who are you calling a little kid?! We're practically the same age!" Lucy barked back at her. "Less yapping, and more running!" Palva barked at her, and she grabbed her arm, unleashing another burst of flames from her feet to distance herself and Lucy from Sherry and her doll. "After them, Rock Doll!" Sherry ordered.

The two girls landed on the ground, picking themselves up and continuing their mad dash away from the rock monster. The forest started to clear up as they were heading towards a rocky landscape, with a cliff ahead of them. The reached the edge of the cliff, seeing the shoreline and the ocean far below them.

"Oh, no! It's a dead end!" Lucy exclaimed. "No it's not. We can just jump off!" Palva retorted. "Are you insane?! I can't survive a jump that high!" Lucy barked.

"You wanna take your chances with what's behind us?" the Dragon Slayer asked. They both looked back to see Sherry and her Rock Doll catching up to them as they cleared the forest. "It's the end of the line for the both of you!" Sherry declared.

"On second thought, maybe jumping seems like a better plan now." Lucy whined, "But can you please help me down?" "Sure thing." Palva answered, and she took Lucy in her arms while keeping a grip of her lance, and leapt off the cliff. The blonde mage screamed in panic as they fell, but Palva, being a skilled jumper, was far from afraid. They both landed on the beach sand with relative ease.

"Thank you…" Lucy sighed, getting back onto her feet again. Palva stretched her back as she moaned, "Not to complain, but how dense is your chest and butt? Seriously, you're heavier than you look!" "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Lucy barked angrily.

"Crush them, Rock Doll!" they heard Sherry declared, and they looked up to see the giant living boulder fall down towards them. The two girls panicked and raced out of the way as it landed. Both were sent flying from the shockwave it unleashed, but were able to regain themselves, just as the Rock Doll did.

"There's nowhere to run, you two!" Sherry warned them. While Palva turned to face the Rock Doll, Lucy looked to the ocean nearby them, realizing she could summon her strongest spirit here. However, she knew that spirit was a bit rebellious, and would attack her and the others together. She couldn't risk getting Palva hurt by one of her spirits again.

"Looks like I have no other choice but to try and beat this thing!" Palva declared, leaping at the Rock Doll, unleashing another Fire Dragon's Talon. "It's pointless!" Sherry chimed as her Rock Doll back-handed Palva into a pillar of rock nearby, causing it to break apart, forming a cloud to appear. "Palva!" Lucy cried.

When the cloud vanished, Palva shook her head, regaining herself quite easily. "Man, that hurt." she moaned, massaging her neck. She then looked at her hands, and realized she dropped her lance. Panicking, she looked to see it a good distance from where she fell.

"No! The Dragonic Fang!" she exclaimed, and she rushed over to where it was. Before she could get to it, though, her path was interrupted by Sherry and her Rock Doll.

"Where do you think you're going?" she called down to Palva in a sassy manner. "Get out of the way!" Palva barked, "You don't know how much I need the Dragonic Fang!"

"Why should I let you have it?" Sherry questioned, "It's not like it'll help you defeat me. Now why don't you be a good little girl, and just die already!"

Her Rock Doll swung a fist at Palva, colliding with her and causing the sand to explode, covering the scene. "Palva!" Lucy cried out, racing over towards where she was, fearing her friend might have been badly hurt from the attack or worse. As she got closer, she could feel something coming from where Palva was at before; an increasing amount of magic energy and heat. When the sand finally rested back down, it was revealed that Palva was holding back the Rock Doll's fist, while her whole body was covered in flickering flames emanating from her body.

"But how?!" Sherry gasped, "She barely held her own against Taurus. How is she easily stopping my Rock Doll with just her bare hands?!"

"Palva?" Lucy started, about to come closer. "Keep away from me, Lucy!" Palva ordered, stopping Lucy's approach.

The Dragon Slayer looked up at Sherry as the flames around her grew bigger and hotter. "The reason I need my lance isn't to defeat you." she corrected, "It's really the opposite. I can't restrain myself from going all out on you without it. But since you separated me from it, I'll have no other choice but to show you how big of a mistake you made!"

Palva roared as the flames around her intensified, burning so hard, that it even caused the sand beneath her to ignite and burn away. "What is this power?" Sherry questioned, "Her magic is so much stronger than before! I've never seen flames this intense." She then felt warm at her feet as her Rock Doll started to emanate heat from Palva's grip on it.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Palva roared, and she backed off from the Rock Doll, and Lucy, seeing where she kept a grip on it, saw molten rock handprints. _Her flames were hot enough to melt the rock?!_ she questioned in shock.

 **"Fire Dragon's Roar!"** Palva unleashed her flaming breath attack onto the Rock Doll, covering it in flames, apart from the top piece where Sherry started dancing about, her feet getting burnt by the intense heat. The Rock Doll, on the other hand, was taking it worse, as her fire was starting to melt its' body slightly.

Palva then backflipped and launched forward at the Rock Doll. " **Fire Dragon's Sword-Horn!** " she roared, and she pierced head-first through the rock monster like a flaming comet, causing an explosion of rubble that sent Sherry flying high.

 _This is impossible!_ Sherry thought to herself, _Her magic is so dangerously powerful without her lance! Just who is she?! Cold Emperor, please avenge my love for you onto her!_

The flaming Dragon Slayer skidded to a halt as she pivoted with one foot, while her other one ignited even bigger than before. " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Talon!** " Palva roared, and she sent a streak of flames from her kick straight up at Sherry, connecting with her and causing an explosion and a scream. Lucy gasped at the merciless attack, and watched as Sherry fell down from the sky, her body completely singed by the final attack, her decorative wings burnt away.

"Wow! You actually did it!" Lucy stated, then she cheered, "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! You just got beaten by a pair of powerful mages, and one of them is from Fairy Tail!"

She turned to smile at Palva, only for her smile to vanish as she saw something was wrong. The flames around Palva's body were not dying down, and she had collapsed to her hands and knees. She was gritting her teeth, struggling with all her might against the flames, but she was failing to control them.

"Palva, what's wrong?" Lucy asked, then gasped as she recalled to Dori explaining to her about Palva's condition.

 _(Flashback) "…The only thing that can suppress the flames inside her is her lance, Dragonic Fang."_

 _"That lance she carries can suppress her flames?" Gray questioned, looking to Leon, who nodded. "It's practically the only thing that keeps her magic in check." Pastry informed them_.

"I need to find a way to stop those flame long enough to grab her lance and give it to her." Lucy summed up, looking at the weapon on the far opposite side of where Palva crouched, "But I can barely get any closer than this to her! It's so darn hot!"

Palva grimaced in pain as her flames started to build up again inside and around her. She then bellowed loudly as a pillar of flames shot up into the sky, causing shockwaves of heat to blast from all about her, making Lucy falter and fall backwards. She looked back up to see Palva in complete agony. She couldn't even begin to understand how straining it was to her body.

* * *

In separate parts of the jungle, Palva's flames were noticeable to the rest of their party. In the village campsite, Pastry had just came out of the tent Gray was in when one of the villagers pointed out the tower of flames from afar. Looking, he gasped, "Oh, no… Please tell me that's Salamander!"

In the sky near the flames, Happy stopped to see the flames rising into the sky. "Woah! I've never even seen Natsu unleash this much power before!" he exclaimed, "How is Palva doing that?!"

In another part, Natsu and Dori looked back at the sight of the flames, and Dori's face fell into fear. "No… That's Palva!" she exclaimed.

"That's Palva's magic?" Natsu questioned, "Wow, I didn't know she had it in her." "This is not something to praise, Natsu!" Dori barked at him, "She doesn't have her lance on her. As such, she cannot suppress the intense amount of magic inside of her. Her body will continue to unleash powerful flames until it burns her alive!"

"She will burn alive?!" Natsu gasped, realizing the danger. "We're not sure. We never reached that point in her flames before." Dori replied, then she raised an open palm, creating a magic circle. From her body, a communication lacrima sphere appeared in her hand, and she waved her other hand around it.

"I need to contact Leon. I hope he's nearer to her than we are, right now!" she then made the lacrima glow as she called out, "Leon! Leon! Do you copy?! Leon!"

* * *

The said swordsman was still in an intense battle with Erza, bearing his blade down on Erza's twin swords. Both struggled to overpower the other, but they backed off away from one another.

"You're strong. I'll give you that much!" Leon stated. "I can see your strength and magic are quite impressive, as well." Erza replied, "But I still fail to see why we are fighting in the first place!" Leon had no answer to that, but the rage in his heart still had not come to a halt.

"Leon! Leon! Do you copy?!" Dori's voice came from inside of Leon's armor. He lowered his blade as he pulled out the small communication lacrima he had. "What's going on, Dori?" he asked, "I'm in the middle of something, here!"

"I hope you're talking about restraining Palva's power, because if you're not, then you have to help her!" Dori exclaimed.

Erza turned and saw the pillar of flames off in the distance. "What's that?!" she gasped, "Is that Natsu?!" "No, it's worse!" Leon answered, and his body glowed as he reverted to his standard garments, "Palva…I have to go save her!"

He looked to Erza as she looked back at him again. As much as he wanted to continue fighting her, he couldn't ignore Palva's condition. She was top priority above everything else. "We'll settle this later!" he barked at her, "Right now, I need to help her! **Requip!** " He changed into his Swift Armor again, and shot past Erza, heading towards the source.

Erza looked back at where he went to. She had many questions to ask of him, and she still had the task of bringing Natsu and the others back to the guild. However, considering the state of the matter, she felt it would be better to assist the blue-haired young man in his cause.

" **Requip! Flight Armor!** " she shouted, transforming into a new garment that was very similar to Leon's Swift armor, only wearing a skimpy top, her shoulder guard and armguard were on her left arm, black short shorts, a light green cloth piece held by the belt on her waist, asymmetrical high-heeled boots, and cheetah ears adorned on her head. She also wielded two new swords in her hands.

With her new armor equipped, she chased after Leon with speeds similar to his Swift Armor, attempting to find out the problem.

* * *

Back on the beach, Lucy was coming up with a plan to stop Palva's flames. "I guess I have no other choice!" she declared, racing to the sea as she pulled out a golden key, " **Open! Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!** " She placed the tip of the key into the water, and a summoning gate appeared, bringing forth a mermaid woman with light blue hair, a blue fish tail, a dark blue bra with white trimming and straps, a golden belt with light blue frills across her waist, golden bands on her upper arms and wrists, a golden headpiece around her head, and a striped water jug in her hands.

"Aquarius, I need you to douse her with water!" Lucy ordered her spirit, "Die the flames surrounding her!" Aquarius merely sneered back at Lucy, irritated at being ordered by her. "Look, I don't have time to put up with your attitude!" Lucy barked angrily, "Now hurry up and stop those flames around her so I can save her life!"

"Jeez, it's no wonder you don't have a boyfriend with a crabby attitude like that." Aquarius responded. "Give it a rest, would ya?!" Lucy barked.

Palva's scream of agony reached to Lucy's ear, making her realize that now was not the time to get angry with Aquarius. "Look, I don't care if you wash me away! Just please help me save her!" Lucy ordered.

"Fine, if you want to have it your way." Aquarius answered, and she gathered water into her magic pot, releasing it back out furiously, forming a giant wave. Lucy panicked as the wave came upon her, and she got swept away with it. The wave then came towards Palva, who squinted and saw the ocean wave come crashing down upon her. Lucy washed up on shore, moaning and dazed from her own spirit's attack.

"There, will that work for you?" Aquarius questioned. Lucy got back up, dazed for a couple seconds as she answered, "Yeah, that was great, Aquarius. You really know how to not show restraint."

Just then, there was an explosion of steam, and the two turned to see Palva surrounded in steam, formed from the evaporating water, as the flames continued to rage on.

"It didn't work?!" Lucy gasped. "Seems she more stubborn than you are." Aquarius compared. "You don't need to go that far!" Lucy barked, "Put all your power into stopping her flames!"

Aquarius once against gathered water into her jug, this time releasing it solely on Palva, encasing her in a watery cyclone. "Yeah! That should do it!" Lucy cheered. Aquarius, however, felt something was off. Her tornado of water suddenly dispersed by another towering set of flames from Palva, who's flames didn't wither out in the slightest.

"My waters cannot stop her!" Aquarius gasped. "Oh, no!" Lucy cried out, "Palva! You gotta get ahold of yourself! I can't get to your lance while you're like that!"

"I'm…sorry, Lucy…" Palva strained to speak, "I…cannot stop…them… These flames…are beyond…my…control!" She started to tear up inside the flames, but her tears almost instantly dissolved in the flames around her. Lucy was at a loss as to what to do.

Just then, something came dashing in towards Palva from the opposite side of Lucy. It was none other than Leon, skidding to a halt as he looked in horror at the sight of the situation. Erza was only seconds behind, watching the girl in the flames with shock.

"Leon! And…Erza?!" Lucy gasped, seeing the two individuals on the other side.

"What's going on here? Who is that girl in the flames?!" Erza demanded. "Crap, it's gotten this intense." Leon growled, ignoring Erza's words, then barked, "Lucy, why haven't you given her back the Dragonic Fang?!"

"I can't reach it! The flames are too hot!" Lucy cried back, putting herself back behind the rock to find some cover, but she couldn't even touch the rock due to the heat. "I can't take this heat any longer!" Aquarius barked, "I'm heading back now. Buh-bye!" With that, she closed her own gate, disappearing from a shocked Lucy.

"Looks like it's up to me, isn't it?" Leon realized, " **Requip! Flame Emperor Armor!** " One piece at a time, Leon shifted into new armor, which had orange, red and black-colored armor, a large breast plate that covered up to his shoulders, heavy gauntlets, and greaves that had dragon-like claws for feet. He also had dragon-like wings on his back that acted like a cape, and a headband with black horns adorned on it. His weapon was a claymore, which had the same colors as his armor.

"I'm on my way, Palva! Just hold on!" Leon shouted, and he raced into the heat exerting from the Dragon Slayer's flames. Fortunately, his armor was resisting the heat emitting from her as he raced towards the Dragonic Fang. He grabbed ahold of it, dropping his claymore, and threw the lance towards Palva like a javelin. It stabbed into the ground near Palva, who squinted as she saw it within arm's reach. She struggled to lift her arm up, the flame's energy making it hard to even move. She put all she had into her arm, reached out, and grasped ahold of the lance. As soon as she made contact, the lance glowed brightly. Within moments, the flames dispersed, then sucked right back into Palva again, reverting her back to normal. She collapsed face-first into the ground, still having a lax grip on her lance as her body smoked.

"Palva!" Lucy cried, and she raced over to where Palva was at. She stumbled and fell as she reached her, feeling weak all of a sudden. She used a bit too much of her magic from fighting Sherry and attempting to save Palva.

Leon joined in, still in his Flame Emperor armor, and turned her over, making sure she still had a grip on the lance. The sun started to peak out, indicating that morning was approaching.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Lucy asked. "Yeah, but she'll need to rest for a while." Leon answered, "We were fortunate. If it had gone any further, she would've lost all sanity, or even burn down the whole island."

"You're kidding me!" the blonde gasped. "That's just how much magic energy she has in her." Leon warned her, looking down at Palva's calmed face, "Honestly, I have no clue why she has so much magic. Not even Dori knows."

Lucy looked down at Palva, wondering that herself. She barely looked like she was in her teens, yet she possessed so much power. But why did she have so much? Why could she not control the flames? The more she learned about Palva, Leon and the others, the more questions she had.

"Seems like you got a handle on the situation, here." Erza spoke as she approached the group. "Erza!" Lucy greeted, "Why in the world are you he-." Her sentence was stopped by an intense glare from Erza, but it also told her the reason. She had almost forgotten that they broke the guild's law of taking an S-rank without permission.

"I assume you know why I'm here, Lucy?" Erza questioned. "To take us back…" Lucy answered nervously, then she act innocent as she asked, "…Isn't that right?" Her question was met with a silence that was no where near kind.

"Guys!" Happy flew down to meet Lucy and Palva, "I saw those crazy flames from afar! I'm so glad you guys are oka-." his own sentence was stopped by the sight of Erza, who had her back to him. Panicking, he covered his mouth and attempted to take off as fast as he could, but Erza caught him by the tail, and held him firm.

"What do you plan to do to these guys?" Leon questioned Erza, rising back up again as his body glowed, and he reverted to his normal garments.

"I assume you are aware of the other two members of our guild, Natsu and Gray, correct?" Erza questioned, "As I told you before, I attempt to search for them, then I'm bringing them back to the guild hall."

"Please, listen!" Lucy started, and her tone became desperate, "We're sorry for going without permission, but this island is in real trouble now! Some guys are trying to resurrect a demon trapped in ice, and the villagers are suffering because of that magic. Anyways, the point is they're in deep trouble. We want to save this island somehow…"

"I do not care." Erza calmly answered, surprising Lucy, while making Leon's eyes narrow. "Th-Then at least let us finish the job-." Lucy started, but her plea was interrupted by Erza pointing a sword to her throat.

"You're wrong, Lucy." Erza growled, her eyes showing she was not to be trifled with, "You guys betrayed the Master. Don't think that you will get away unscathed." Lucy and Happy remained quiet, unable to find anyway to convince Erza of anything right now. She was far too scary.

"If you want to point a sword at someone, it shouldn't be towards your comrades." Leon spoke up, drawing Erza's attention, "Besides, now is not the time for any of this. I'm still enraged by the sight of you, but I can tell you are not a complete enemy. I'll show you to the campsite where the villagers are at. Gray and my partner, Pastry, should be there. Gray's unconscious right now, and Palva needs treatment as soon as possible, so why don't we discuss all this back there."

Erza looked to Leon for a second, then decided to place her blade away. "Very well. I'll take you up on your offer." she answered, "However…" she then produced some rope, and bound both Happy and Lucy's arms to their body. "…I won't allow them to leave my side until Gray and Natsu are with us. Take me to the village."

Leon didn't like the fact that these two were innocent, yet still tied up like a pair of criminals. Even so, it was due to breaking the law of the guild, so he had no say in the matter. He reached down and picked up Palva in both hands, resting her lance on top of her. He then led Erza and the two captives as they headed back to the village again.

* * *

Back in the forest, Dori and Natsu had only just witnessed the tower of flames die down, replace with the sky growing brighter as the sun came out.

"Looks like we managed to avert danger, for now." Dori sighed, "Thank goodness."

"So Leon managed to save Palva?" Natsu asked. "Yeah. Once she physically re-obtained the Dragonic Fang, her flames are suppressed once more." Dori explained, "Still, that could've been way worse. I just hope this doesn't scare anyone from her, again…"

There was a moment of silence as Natsu looked back at Dori, who looked towards the rising sun. Finally, she started, "Natsu?" "Yeah, what is it?" he asked.

"You're the only person I know that possesses similar magic to my sister's. I know we only met one another for a few days, but the fact is that I'm desperate." Dori looked back at Natsu, her eyes showing how serious she was as she asked, "When this is all over, promise me you will help out my sister, in any way to can. I can't stand watching her in pain every time she loses control. Please, PROMISE me you will save her!"

Natsu didn't even waste five seconds before smiling as he answered, "Don't you worry about a thing, Dori. I already promised Palva that I would help her, and I'm not gonna go back on my word. Besides, you're one of us, now."

Dori's eyes widened. The fact that he said he would do it was a relief, but for him to say that they were 'one of their own' was touching. Truly, Natsu was a one of a kind guy, and someone that should deserve some respect…well, in some aspects of his personality.

"Now come on!" Natsu declared, turning back to see the temple peaking through the forest, "That fire we just saw gave me a great idea." "Sure. Tell me what it is as we get there." Dori answered as they wandered their way to the ruins, ready to stop Lyon and his revival ceremony.

* * *

 **Well, this completes another chapter. I had a lot of free time, so I did this chapter a lot quicker than normal. Still, I did say this one was action-packed, and four separate fights would do. What did you think of the changes I made? Dori and Natsu going into their own separate fights without interfering with one another, a mysterious intention behind Leon fighting Erza, and a way more cooler battle with Palva & Lucy vs. Sherry. I hope people liked the results of this chapter. Please leave a review, and I hope to update as soon as I can.  
**


	4. Demon's Awakening

PREVIOUSLY ON FAIRY TAIL:  
Lyon's minions, Yuka, Toby, Sherry, and her pet rat Angelica attempted to destroy the village with acid jelly, but Natsu and Palva incinerated their plans. However, the battle became head-to-head as Natsu and Dori took on Yuka and Toby respectively, defeating them pretty easily. Leon ended up encountering Erza, who arrived on the island to take the Fairy Tail mages back to the guild, but was instead met with rage by Leon's questionable rage towards her. Lucy and Palva both took fought and defeated Sherry and her rat, but Palva almost incinerated the entire shoreline after losing her lance. Leon went and saved her, but led Erza to Lucy and Happy, tying them up. Now only Gray and Natsu remain, and Erza is not gonna let them off the hook!

* * *

The day had reached near noon. Gray was lying inside of a tent house, his body in bandages from his fight against Lyon. He started to come around as his eyes squinted, then he opened them up, realizing he wasn't where he saw last. He saw the canopy of the tent above him. He sat up, and saw the tent house he was in. It was clear it was no longer night, due to the light coming from outside the flaps of the tent.

"Where am I?" he asked, standing up. He stepped outside, and found himself in a new scene. Wherever it was, it was not the village. However, based on the designs on the tent, it did belong to the villagers. The question now was what happened to their village?

"Thank goodness! You're awake." Gray turned to see a young lady approach him, who had a blue demon leg and foot.

Where is this?" Gray asked. "This is a storage area a bit further away from the village." the lady explained, "The village was destroyed last night, so everyone sought refuge here."

"The village was destroyed?" Gray questioned in surprise, then he recalled Lyon's last command to his minions; destroy the village. To think he was that heartless to actually allow that to carry through. It sickened Gray. He suddenly felt a pang of pain as he grasped his chest. His injuries were still there.

"Glad you can come back to us." said a voice. Leon, Pastry, and a worn out Palva were approaching the two from another tent.

"Leon. Palva. Pastry." Gray greeted. "How're you feeling?" Pastry asked him, hopping onto Leon's head. "Can't complain." Gray answered.

He then looked to Palva, noticing that she was putting a lot of weight on her lance to hold herself up, he asked, "You okay?" "Yeah. Things…just got crazy last night." Palva answered with a nervous chuckle. She didn't want to tell Gray what really happened to her, so she refrained from giving details.

"We managed to save everyone from the attack." Leon explained, "Actually, I'd rather say that thanks to Natsu, Dori, Palva, Lucy and the cats, everyone was safe, and those minion guys were taken down. I just led the group away from harm."

"Are they here, too?" Gray asked. "Yes. They asked me to tell you to go to their when you and Palva were awake." the female villager explained. "I see." Gray understood.

"They're camped out in that tent over there." Pastry explained, pointing a finger to the said tent, then adding a nervous tone as he added, "Though be warned, they are with the scariest demon I've seen." Gray was confused at this. With the villagers back to normal, how could there be a scary demon about.

Leon and Pastry led Palva and Gray over to the tent. "You go in, first." Leon told Gray. "Why?" he asked. "Just do it." Pastry answered, "Leon and I don't want to see her first." Wondering how scary the demon was, Gray decided to enter the tent, meeting with the 'demon', sitting and waiting for him with threatening eyes; Erza.

"You sure took your time, Gray." the scarlet-haired woman stated. "Erza?!" Gray gasped, then noticing Lucy and Happy still tied up next to her, "Lucy, Happy!"

Palva next entered the tent, and saw Erza for the first time. Instantly, she could feel the sense of threatening authority from her, and paled as she asked, "Uh…who's she? And why are those two tied up?" Leon and Pastry came in last, with the latter hiding his eyes from the woman in front of them.

"I've heard the details from Lucy and Leon." Erza started, standing to her feet, "Weren't you supposed to stop Natsu? I'm utterly speechless. Not only did you allow them to go, but you even allowed yourself to join and involved people who aren't even part of a guild to be a part of something that is clearly an S-rank request."

"Hold on. Don't blame them for having us come along!" Palva interfered, "If you want to blame someone, blame me. I needed Natsu's help, so I didn't care if he was doing something illegal or not!"

"Speaking of which, is Natsu even here?" Gray asked, noticing his lack of his presence, "I don't see Dori here, either."

"They aren't back here, if that's what you were wondering." Leon answered, "They weren't back at the destroyed village either. I checked. The only place I haven't looked was at the ruins."

"We're going to search for Natsu and that other person you brought." Erza informed Gray, walking right past him, "We shall return to the guild the moment we find him." The trio of non-guild members could only watch to see how Gray would react to this.

"Wh-What are you saying, Erza?" the Ice-Make mage questioned, "If you've heard about the details, then you know what's happening on this island now, right?" "And what of it?" Erza questioned calmly, in an almost uncaring way, "I came here to bring back some guild law-breakers. I have no interest in anything besides that."

"How dare you act so coldly to-!" Palva started angrily, but she was interrupted by Leon placing a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and felt as Leon's grip tightened. He wasn't gonna say it yet, but Palva knew that he was angry at Erza's actions and words, but that he was waiting for Gray's response.

"Didn't you see the shape the people of this island are in?" Gray questioned angrily. "I did." she answered.

"Are you just going to ignore that, then?" Gray questioned again. "The request was posted in every guild." she explained, "Wouldn't it be more appropriate to leave it to the guild mages who formally accepted this job?"

"How can you be so heartless?!" Gray questioned her harshly. Erza turned her head to him with a dark expression as she asked, "What did you say?"

"How could you say that to the great Erza?!" Happy demanded fearfully. "The great?" Lucy echoed, seeing him trying to suck up. "More like 'the Infamous'." Pastry corrected.

"Do you intend to break the guild's law as well?" Erza questioned, producing a magic circle and summoning a sword, pointing the tip at Gray, "You won't get away with it."

Her intention was for her threat to scare him into submission. However, what he did was the complete opposite. He grasped ahold of the blade with his bare hand tightly. He gave the same glare back at Erza, showing he was not afraid of her or her blade. Lucy, Happy, Palva and Pastry were all terrified at this clash of resolving characters, while Leon had his eyes shadowed from view.

Gray directed Erza's blade towards his Fairy Tail guild mark on his chest, growling, "Do whatever you want! This is the path I have chosen. It is something that I must do." Erza seemed surprised at these words.

Just then, a hand grasped Erza's blade from in between Gray's and Erza's. Leon stood there, holding Erza's blade firmly. However, from his rage, his grip tightened, causing the blade to crack, then shatter in half, with each mage holding onto one piece of it. This action surprised every person that was in the room, as he turned to Erza with a glare that was just as threatening, if not more so, than Erza's.

"Rules were only made to prevent people from making reckless decisions." he began, "That doesn't mean they take up absolute authority. Those rules CAN be broken! There is only one set of rules that has to be followed, no matter what; the ones engraved in your heart."

He turned fully at Erza as he continued, "Gray chooses to settle this matter, even throwing his connection to the guild on the line to do what is right. Meanwhile you, who would rather follow some rules, would turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the outcries of the people in need, of battles that need to be fought here and now, and to allow people to suffer or die because you did not care. How can you even even wear that guild mark with pride?"

Erza's eyes flashed in anger, but not from being lectured, but from not having an argument that didn't make her worse than a villain.

"If you ask me, Gray, Natsu and the others are the ideal definition of a Fairy Tail mage." Leon stated, "They will go out of their way to make sure the innocent are safe and happy, and the guilty are punished. That's why I intend to give everything I have to help them complete this…no, I would save these people, even if it wasn't a request!"

He turned to Gray and asked, "You still willing to go see this through?" "Absolutely." he answered, finding Leon's words true to him.

"Good. Then let's get to it." Leon started, turning to Palva, "We need to find Natsu and Dori. Think you can sniff them out?" "I can try." the female Dragon Slayer answered.

He then took the broken blade in Gray's hand, and with a pair of slices, he cut Lucy and Happy free. "If you guys still want to see this through, too, then come with us." Leon told them, "Let's leave the rule-followers while her back is turned from everyone. If she wants to stop us, then I'll deal with her myself."

"U-Uh, yeah." Lucy answered, fearing Erza might become more violent than ever after everything Leon said. They crept past Erza in a shaky matter as they followed Gray out of the tent, followed by Palva and Pastry, leaving Erza and Leon alone.

Leon started to walk away before Erza started, "Wait a moment." He turned to her as he saw her grit her teeth out of frustration. "Although I'm not inclined to break the guild rules myself, I can't disagree with what you said." she informed him, "While the actions of Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy are unacceptable, the problems on this island come first. So I'll help complete this job."

Leon's red eyes looked at Erza's fierce brown ones. For a moment, they didn't move even in the slightest. Then Leon turned away as he stated, "You'd better not cause any trouble." He walked out of the tent, followed by Erza.

Outside, the rest of the group watched as the two exited the tent, standing side by side in front of them. "I-Is there something wrong?" Lucy questioned, looking fearfully at Erza. "She's deciding to come and complete this mission with us." Leon answered, turning to her, "Isn't that right?" Erza nodded in response.

Happy and Lucy both seemed pleased she had a change of heart, until she warned them, "Don't get the wrong idea. You will still be punished." "Aye…" they responded sadly.

"Let's get moving, guys." Palva informed everyone, "I can barely smell Natsu's fire from here. He must be at the ruins."

"Don't tell me he's gonna face Lyon all by himself!" Gray gasped. "If he's with my sis, then we won't have to worry." Palva assured her. With that, everyone raced towards the direction of the ancient temple.

* * *

Near the entrance to the temple of the moon, Natsu and Dori had just made it out of the jungle, both of them yawning deeply. "Dang… I came up with a great idea, and we end up oversleeping." Natsu moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"I guess all the excitement last night really caught up to us." Dori added, stretching her arms into the air one at a time, "Even so, your idea is surprisingly ingenious. I wouldn't have thought of something like that, but I guess your hot-headed demeanor could come up with an idea like that."

"If you don't wanna do it, then I can take care of it all." Natsu assured her. "Nah. I need a way to wake myself up." she answered, the two of them standing directly at the entrance, "Let's hope everything goes to plan." "Alright. Let's begin!" Natsu declared, and they rushed into the ruins.

Dori led Natsu over to where the furthest set of walls and pillars were that supported the building. "Everything onward is free target practice." she informed him. "Alrighty! I'm all fired up!" Natsu declared, and he started punching down one column at a time, while Dori pulled out her crossbow and fired off shot at a few others. Both of them split up as they destroyed anything remotely acting as a support to the temple, from the columns to the walls. Nevertheless, they were unleashing all their magic onto the structures.

" **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!** " Natsu roared, unleashing waves of flames from his arms that took down several walls at once. " **Crystal Crown!** " Dori shouted, slamming the ground and producing a large ring of pointed crystals, every one puncturing through the columns around her.

Overtime, the two could see their damage was causing the temple to shake and tilt to one side. "It's working, Natsu!" Dori called out, feeling the area tilt on them. "Good! I can smell that guy that beat up Gray before right above us!" Natsu roared, and he unleashed a powerful breath attack directly above him.

Dori joined his side as soon as he stopped, and they looked up to see three individuals look down at them from four floors up. One of them was Toby, the second was Lyon, but the third was a new face, hidden by a sort of tribal mask, though he had a gray cloak and long green hair going down his back.

Natsu looked at their surprised expressions, and chuckled. "You know, I usually end up breaking things by accident. It's kinda funny how hard it is when I mean to do it."

"Yeah, I gotta hand it to you, your plan actually worked like a charm." Dori stated, "Plus, I got just the pick-me-up from wrecking this place up."

"What are you trying to do?!" Lyon demanded. "The building is crooked now, right?" Natsu questioned, "This way the moonlight can't shine on that demon below!" Dori smiled and nodded at this.

"You bastards…" Lyon growled, "How dare you do this?! Damn you, Fairy Tail!" "Technically, I'm not Fairy Tail." Dori corrected him, "But what can I say? They're pretty fun guys to be around."

"Uh, I'm confused. I don't get what's going on at all…" said Toby. "Those two are trying to topple these ruins." the green-haired man explained, "By destroying half the pillars supporting the base of the ruins, they can topple the building so that the moonlight will not reach Deliora. That's probably their plan."

The green-haired man looked back down at Natsu he continued, "Based on what that girl said, this was Salamander's plan. Contrary to his appearance, he's quite sharp."

Natsu started to produce flames at his feet that made him levitate off the ground, while Dori crouched with one hand on the ground as she summoned a magic circle at her feet, causing a bit of crystal to form. "Quit yapping already!" Natsu roared. "We're stopping you guys AND saving the villagers!" Dori declared.

"Flames at his legs?" Lyon noticed Natsu's magic. "Watch out! That girl can produce crystals like crazy, too!" Toby warned the Cold Emperor, "She even froze my claws in them!"

Natsu shot up first with his rocketing feet, while Dori caused a crystal to grow at her feet, making her rise up to where the action was. Natsu unleashed a headbutt straight into Lyon's chest, causing him to gag in agony. However, this was a rouse, as his body cracked and transformed into ice.

"What? A fake?" Natsu gasped. Behind him, Lyon was gathering energy into his magic circle. " **Ice-Make Eagle!** " he roared, sending several bird-shaped ice at Natsu, who turned to meet it. "You can't dodge them in mid-air!" he pointed out.

" **Crystal Barrage!** " Dori reached the group as she formed a magic circle from her hands, sending several crystal pieces shooting upwards at once, hitting the ice birds and destroying them. "But how?!" Lyon gasped.

Natsu landed back on the ground in a handstand, unleashing torrents of flames from his feet. Lyon ducked underneath the attack as it streaked right over him. "What kind of magic is this?!" he questioned in surprise.

" **Crystal Launcher!** " Dori sent Lyon flying by launching him in the air with a crystal. "He's wide open, Natsu!" she shouted back. Natsu replied by sending another blast of flames from his mouth directly at Lyon, who had no way of dodging it.

Suddenly, the green-haired man waved a hand to Natsu, and the ground beneath him suddenly gave way, causing him to miss Lyon and fall to the ground below. "Natsu!" Dori gasped, shocked as to what happened.

"Seems like you are in luck, Cold Emperor." the man told Lyon, while Toby was smoldering from Natsu's flames hitting him.

Lyon looked to the man as he demanded, "What did you do?!" "What indeed…" the man answered, grinning back at him. "Don't play dumb!" Dori barked, "I saw you wave your hand to Natsu. You destroyed the floor!"

"So you noticed that, did you?" the man questioned, "I just figured a two-on-one fight against our Cold Emperor might be a bit much. After all, he needs to reserve his magic for when he faces Deliora."

Suddenly, the area around them became cold as they turned to see Lyon emanating a chilling aura. "Are you saying that I would lose to those flames and this girl's crystals?" he questioned, and in an instant, he froze the entire room, minus the people standing in it and the hole Natsu fell through, in which had the said Dragon Slayer climbing back out of.

"Begone!" Lyon ordered the green-haired man, "I will finish these two myself, starting with this girl. I'm the only mage who can defeat Deliora: Cold Emperor Lyon! I wouldn't be worthy of that reputation if I had a hard time with these two brats." "As you wish." the green-haired man answered.

"Defeat Deliora?" Natsu questioned what he said. "Are you telling me you're doing all of this just so you can fight it?" Dori questioned, "That's a pretty selfish desire."

As Natsu climbed out of the hole, the green haired man vanished into thin air, while Toby, not wanting to get in the way, jumped into the hole.

"That thing looks half-dead already." Natsu pointed out, "You seriously plan on breaking it out just to fight it? That's pretty messed up." "Seriously. You're making innocent lives suffer all because you want to boost your own ego and reputation." Dori stated.

"It's all to surpass Ur." Leon responded, a cold aura emanating around him as he unleashed more Ice-Make Eagles at Natsu and Dori, "So I can continue seeing my dream!" " **Crystal Wall!** " Dori summoned a wall of crystal, blocking the icy birds. However, some got around the barrier, aiming at the duo. They leapt upwards to avoid the attack, as the birds crashed at the place they were at before.

"In that case, why don't you just challenge Ur directly?!" Natsu questioned angrily. "Because he can't." Dori answered, landing on the wall she produced, "Remember, Natsu? Gray told us Ur sacrificed herself to create the Iced Shell." Natsu's eyes widened in realization, forgetting Gray told them that in the cavern.

"So he told you that, did he?!" Lyon questioned, sending more eagles at Dori, "Did he also mentioned that it was his fault that she's dead, too?!" Dori summoned a dome of crystal around her, blocking the attack from all sides. Once it subsided, she unveiled herself, with a disgusted look on her face.

"You don't think I know what it's like to lose loved ones due to the actions of people you know and trust?" she questioned, "I've lost my parents since I was six, all because my sister lost control of her magic!" Natsu looked at her, recalling that first night they came to this island, what Palva told him.

 _(Flashback) "Ever since I was born, I, myself, have never been able to control these flames. Because of it, I've burnt so many towns and villages like this down without even meaning to. I've burnt people alive without wanting to. That includes…" she shed some tears as she sobbed, "That includes my parents."_

"…Sure I blamed her for that, and I was angry at her for a while, but I didn't hold a grudge against her." Dori continued, firing a Crystal Barrage from her magic circle, "I intend to help her find a way to control those flames of her's, so that no one can suffer like me anymore!"

Lyon produced a turtle shell-like shield in front of him, repelling her attack. "That shield won't work on me!" Dori barked, leaping off the wall and slamming her fist on the ground, " **Crystal Cataclysm!** " she sent a wave of crystal stalagmites along the ground, bypassing his shield and striking underneath Lyon and sending him flying into the wall.

"You hurt Gray, AND you intentionally ordered the death of innocent villagers, who are already suffering due to your stupid dream!" she barked, "I can't stand people like you! Natsu, let's give this arrogant 'emperor' a wake-up call!" "You got it!" Natsu answered, placing a fist in his palm.

Lyon got back up after Dori's attack, staring coldly at the two opponents before him. Natsu's fist ignited in flames, while crystal started forming on Dori's forearm. He wasn't afraid of dealing with either one of them, but he wasn't planning to get another hit on him again.

* * *

Racing through the jungle, the remaining party of seven headed towards the temple, with Palva in the lead, sniffing for the direct route to it.

"You're kidding me?! He's planning to fight Deliora?!" Lucy questioned Gray, after hearing what he learned from their last skirmish. Gray didn't answer, but he slowed down to a halt, along with everyone else around him.

"Lyon's only aim is to surpass Ur." he explained, placing a hand on a tree, "But with Ur gone, he wants to defeat Deliora in the way that Ur couldn't, in order to surpass her."

"I see. Guess that does sound like the only way to surpass someone who's already dead." Lucy understood. "It doesn't give him the excuse to ruin people's lives in doing so." Leon retorted. "Aye." Happy agreed.

Gray's eyes became serious as he stated, "Listen. There's something…something Lyon doesn't know." He turned to everyone as he continued, "It's true that Ur is no longer with us. But Ur is…still alive." The news stunned everyone around him.

"What do you mean?" Erza questioned. "Okay, now you're contradicting yourself, pal." Pastry noted, "How can she be alive AND dead at the same time?!"

Gray paused for a second, then he started, "Ten years ago, the city where I lived was attacked by Deliora. It didn't even take a day for it to be destroyed…"

He then went deep into the story, about how Lyon and Ur discovered him as the only survivor of the attack. Gray vowed, from that day on, to seek vengeance on Deliora for what it had done, which made him decide to learn Ice-Make magic from Ur. Fueled by vengeance, he succeeded in learning the magic quite well, all the while wanting to learn more powerful magic to defeat Deliora. Although according to Lyon back then, Ur decided to teach him in order to help him be free from the vengeful darkness in his heart, but he didn't care back then.

Then one day, he got a tip from a traveling group of hunters that Deliora reappeared once more in Brago. With his mind how it was, he completely ignored Ur's warnings, and went after Deliora by himself, and so, he went to Brago.

Before Gray continued on with what happened after that, they stopped as they noticed the ruins far off. However, something was off about it, due to the fact it was tilted to one side. The shift in angle caused Lucy, Palva and Happy to tilt their heads to one side in order to see it straight.

"Something seems off kilter here." Pastry noticed. "Are the ruins…tilted?" Lucy asked. "Did Natsu and Dori do that?" Palva asked. "I bet Natsu, though I'm not sure about Dori being involved." Gray stated. "Same here." Erza agreed.

"Not sure how he did it, but only he would do something nuts like that." Gray pointed out. "Still, I wonder what's the point of tilting it like that?" Leon questioned, "Sure, they caused structural damage, but for what? It's not like it's gonna stop the ceremony."

"Actually, it makes a difference, because the light of the moon won't shine on Deliora now." Gray pointed out, "I don't know if he did it on purpose or not, but it works."

"Who knew that his tendency for destroying things could actually come in handy?" Lucy questioned, readjusting her head. "And knowing my sis, she would probably agree and even help in this plan." Palva added, readjusting her own neck, "She's not afraid to get a little destructive when she needs to."

"My head's stuck! Looking sideways at that crooked temple hurt my neck!" Happy moaned, trying to readjust his head, too. "I gotcha." Pastry stated, flying backwards a bit, then took a dash at Happy's head, snapping it the other way and making him fall, shocking Lucy. "That hurt!" Happy exclaimed. "You're welcome." Pastry responded casually.

Suddenly, Erza and Leon sensed something approaching, and Erza heavily shoved Lucy, Happy and Pastry out of the way as she shouted, "Watch out!" They all crashed into trees and rocks from her shove, while Palva, Gray and Erza nimbly dodged throwing weapons that came their way. Leon pulled his two-handed sword out to block the oncoming blades.

"Who's there!" Leon demanded, raising his sword. All of a sudden, a bunch of purple cloaked individuals with veils covering their faces appeared from both sides of the path they were on, surrounding them. All except Erza, recognized them as the chanters during the ceremony the previous night.

"We've found you, Fairy Tail!" an old lady's voice spoke from the head of the pack. "We won't allow you to interfere with the Cold Emperor!" a male voice spoke from another.

"Not these guys!" Gray growled. "Lyon's minions?" Erza questioned. "More like his spellcasters for reviving Deliora." Leon corrected.

"We're surrounded!" Lucy gasped. "Aye!" Happy agreed, his head tilted even further after his head slammed into the tree thanks to Erza.

"Leave them to me!" Erza declared, summoning another sword to her hand. The team was quite surprised at her support in this, especially Gray. "Go, Gray." she ordered him, "Finish things with Lyon." Despite the surprise at first, Gray nodded in understanding.

"I'll lend my blade into the battle, too." Leon decided, shifting himself next to Erza. "Don't worry! We're here, too. So just go!" Lucy declared, snapping her whip as she readied it in both hands.

"Aye!" Happy answered, holding a skinned fish in his hands like a sword. "That fish ain't gonna help!" Pastry barked at Happy, pumping one of his fists, "I'll give them a good spiking!" "You guys…" Gray muttered, realizing the support he had from his comrades.

"Palva, take Gray, and get him to Lyon!" Leon ordered, "Dori and Natsu might be there, too." "Right!" Palva answered, racing over to Gray and taking him around the waist with her free arm. "Hey, what are you…?!" he questioned, baffled he was getting pulled in by this young girl.

" **Fire Dragon's Pounce!** " she shouted, rocketing herself and Gray over the crowd of subordinates, heading directly towards the temple.

"Impressive jumping skills." Erza noted, seeing Palva and Gray leave. "Don't get too excited. She's nothing compared to her older sister." Leon informed.

Palva and Gray reached the peak of their arc, landing back down on the ground again. "Let's keep going!" the Dragon Slayer ordered, "Based on the intense smelling flames, I think Natsu is facing Lyon, right now. If Dori's fighting alongside him, too, then we'd better hurry. Otherwise, she'll take him down before we even arrive!"

Gray looked back where they just came from, and smiled. Truly, he had friends who had his back in times of need.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Palva asked, "You'd better hurry and stop Lyon yourself!" "I heard you." Gray answered, and they raced towards the temple.

"While were running, can you tell me what happened after you went after Deliora?!" Palva asked as they ran. Gray looked down as he recalled everything that happened that night, when he foolishly went to try and defeat Deliora himself.

"Ur and Lyon ended up following me, despite Ur saying that she was no longer my teacher." Gray started, "Tried as we might, we couldn't even stop Deliora. In the end, Ur wanted me to take Lyon and leave her to fight it by herself."

"She planned on fighting it by herself?" Palva questioned. Gray nodded and continued, "She told me that she would do it to free me from the darkness, but I knew it was a losing fight. But Lyon…refused to believe she would be defeated. He saw her as a the most powerful mage, and one he wished to surpass. He even went and studied books Ur hid from us, and learned the Iced Shell, which he attempted to use then on Deliora."

"But wouldn't that mean he would sacrifice himself to seal it away?!" Palva asked as they raced up some steps, drawing closer to the battle above, "You said before that Ur sacrificed everything to create that Iced Shell."

"I don't think he understood that part." Gray answered, "He just did it anyway, wanting to prove himself better than Ur. However, she stopped him from casting it, and used it instead. And when the Iced Shell is cast, the user's body becomes the very ice itself."

Palva stopped running, turning to him in shock. "So you're telling me that she is that oversized glacier that sealed away Deliora?!" she gasped, "I guess that's what you meant when you said Ur was still alive. But…then that makes no sense. If Lyon is unsealing Deliora, he's literally killing Ur herself, right?"

"That's what I meant when he said he didn't know." Gray answered, "He doesn't realize that Ur is still alive, and is the Iced Shell itself. Ur made me promise to tell Lyon that she died, or else he would spend his life trying to find a way to undo the spell."

The two paused for a second, then felt the area shake about them. Natsu and Dori's fight against Lyon was obviously still going. Knowing this, the two continued their run towards the battlefield.

"So was Ur able to free you then?" Palva asked, looking back at him, "Did her sacrifice really save you from the darkness?" Gray looked back at her before answering, "It did. Ur gave her live to drive away my days of darkness. 'Go forth…to your future'. With her last words in my heart, I decided to start on a new path. But Lyon…"

"Go forth…to your future." Palva echoed, thinking on them. She constantly reminded herself of her past, of everything her flames had done that made a happy future impossible for her. Was there such a path for her to take? She didn't know, not until she found a way to control the flames inside of her.

* * *

Back inside the throne room, Natsu and Dori's attacks were catching up to Lyon, as he panted slightly, but stood his ground. He refused to back down to either mage before him.

"You're looking pretty tired there." Natsu pointed out, "Why don't you just surrender already, you pointy-eyed bastard!" "Your eyes are pretty pointy themselves." Lyon retorted.

"You can't win against the two of us." Dori pointed out, "I had barely used my full power yet. If you can't even defeat the two of us, you stand no chance against Deliora."

"You'd like me to give up, wouldn't you?" Lyon questioned, his body glowing with an icy aura. Natsu flared up his fist while Dori readied a magic circle.

Just then, the wall of ice next to them started to crack, drawing their attention. Suddenly, it shattered, revealing Gray and Palva standing there. "Gray?!" Natsu gasped. "Palva, it's you!" Dori noticed.

"Sniffed them out." Palva stated, "He's all yours, Gray." Gray nodded in appreciation for her efforts.

"Natsu, Dori, let me take this guy down." Gray ordered them, stepping into the room. "But you already lost to him once, remember?" Natsu reminded him.

Gray got in between the three as he answered, "I won't this time. I'll finish this." Dori and Natsu looked at him, wondering if he had a plan to stop him.  
"That's some confidence you have there." Lyon pointed out.

Gray glared at Lyon for a moment before starting, "It was my fault that Ur died ten years ago. But…" he shifted his footing, "Hurting my friends… Hurting the village… Trying to melt that ice… I can't forgive you for that. I'll punish you for them all, Lyon." H crossed his arms straight out in front of him, positioning himself as he was ready to do something. Something that shocked Lyon.

"That pose… Iced Shell!" the Cold Emperor gasped. "Iced Shell?" Natsu questioned. He then recalled what he remembered Gray and Lyon saying about Ur using it, and panicked, along with the sisters.

"Wait, hold on!" Palva called to him, "If you use that spell, you would end up just like your master! You would be-."

"Don't say another word!" Gray barked at her, stopping her before she revealed what happens to the user of the Iced Shell. HE had to show what would happen to Lyon.

"You bastard…have you gone mad?" Lyon questioned in a growl.

"Return the villagers to the way they were, take your friends and leave this island immediately!" Gray ordered, and a large magic circle appeared at his feet, glowing light blue, "This is the last chance I will give you."

Lyon calmed himself, looking confidently as he stated, "I see… You think you can bluff me with that magic? How pointless."

Gray didn't intend to stop, as the magic energy intensified from the magic circle, causing powerful, swirling icy energy to surround him. Everyone braced themselves against the magic energy's power. "I'm serious." Gray assured Lyon in a calm demeanor.

"You'll die!" Lyon barked, using a magic circle in an attempt to strike Gray and stop him, but the magic energy surrounding him caused Lyon's attack to backfire, sending him flying backwards.

"Gray!" Natsu barked. "Don't do this!" Dori shouted. Palva tried stepping towards Gray herself, but ended up getting sent backwards from the powerful force of magic energy, falling on her back.

"No matter how many years pass, it won't change the fact that it's my fault Ur's dead!" Gray admitted, his whole body turning to a blinding white color, "I have to take responsibility sometime… So now's the time. I'm prepared to die. I've been for the past 10 years!"

"You can't be serious?!" Lyon questioned in a shocked manner, as a part of Gray's face cracked like a piece of ice.

"Answer me, Lyon!" roared the Ice-Mage mage, "Do we die together or live together?!"

Holding onto the last of his confidence, Lyon tried to remain calm as he said, "Do it. You don't have the guts to die. There's no way you do!"

Gray closed his eyes, realizing that Lyon would not fully believe that he would perform the Iced Shell. It looks like he had no other choice. "Too bad." he muttered. He roared as he charged up the energy to the max potential, the outcries of Gray, Dori and Palva screaming to him barely reaching his ears.

 _Natsu, Erza, everyone at Fairy Tail, even the new mages I met here on this island. It's up to you now._ Gray thought to himself, _Sorry, but I'm making my exit! This is…the end!_ "Iced-!"

"You dumbass!" Natsu somehow got into the magic spell and delivered a punch to Gray's face, sending him to his knee, and stopping the Iced Shell at once. Lyon and even Palva were amazed at Natsu's sudden strike.

"Natsu!" Gray barked. "You suddenly interrupt our fight and start blabbing about this 'responsibility' crap? You're irritating!" Natsu barked, "Don't steal my prey!"

"You're prey?" Gray questioned. "I'm the one who's gonna defeat him!" Natsu declared, pointing a thumb at himself.

"Didn't I already tell you that this is my business?!" Gray barked. "And did I ever say, 'Yes, I understand that, Sir'?" the Salamander questioned.

"WOULD YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP?!" Dori shouted to the two of them, silencing the both of them with frightened looks. She glared at Gray as she growled, "If you wanted to settle things with Lyon and repent for what you've done, then giving up your life is NOT an answer! You're not being brave or anything like that. You're just running away, and turning your back on the friends and family who care about you! So get your act together, Gray!"

Gray's eyes went into realization as he realized what she said made sense. Natsu's glare at Gray told him the very same thing. Gray was trying to 'settle the score' by running away and dying. He was just a coward who was mixed up. Palva looked at her sister, knowing how she would take this to heart.

However, just before anyone could say anything more, the ground began to shake. Everyone was perplexed as to why the temple was shaking about them. "W-W-What's going on?!" Palva questioned, keeping her footing stable as best as she could.

* * *

Back outside, the remaining team was overwhelming swarm of Lyon's followers. Erza and Leon were effortlessly slashing them down, Lucy was cracking the whip on them, Pastry was unleashing multiple spike dashes at them, and Happy was practically shoving everything he could find down their throats, gagging them. However, what the enemy lacked in the strength department, they gained in tenacity.

"Stop them!" the veiled old lady ordered, "We must not allow anyone to get in the Cold Emperor's way!" The others cheered in response, declaring their undying support.  
Just then, the ground began shaking about them, just as those did inside the temple. "What's happening?" Erza asked.

"You might want to look at the temple!" Leon told them, starting at the ruins from far off. What they saw was too shocking to even comprehend. The ruins were no longer tilted, but back to the way it was before, as if the support came back to one side again.

"No way!" Lucy gasped. "The ruins have returned to their original position!" Happy realized. "How is that even possible?!" Pastry questioned in shock.

* * *

Inside the throne room again, Gray, Dori and Palva looked about, realizing what had just happened, but were confused as to how it came into fruition. "What the heck is going on?!" Natsu demanded, hammering the icy floor angrily. All his hard damaging the ruins was gone, after all, so of course he was angry.

"This means the moonlight will be able to shine on Deliora again!" Gray realized. "Someone must've used a spell to do this. But who could've had that power?" Dori questioned.

Palva was just entering the room through the hole Gray made when someone else came from behind. It was the green-haired, masked man, passing the female Dragon Slayer and approaching Lyon.

"I'm sorry, I was busy." he told his master. "Zalty, is this your doing?" Lyon questioned. The man named Zalty laughed and answered, "The moon will be coming out soon, so I decided to restore the temple."

"He restored the temple back to normal?!" Palva questioned in amazement. "What the hell is that guy?" Gray questioned.

"After all our work to disrupt it!" Natsu snarled, then he barked, "How were you able to restore it?!" Zalty turned to Natsu with a questionable look, then he abruptly laughed at him. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?!" Natsu demanded.

"Easy, Natsu! He's trying to get under your skin." Dori pointed out. "Kinda an easy task." Gray muttered.

"Well then, I suppose we must make preparations for the Moon Drip ceremony." Zalty told Lyon, ignoring the group completely. With that, he took off back the way he came.

"I was ignored?!" Natsu gasped. He ignited in flames as he angrily roared, "GREAT! BRING IT ON, MASKED MAN!"

"Stop getting so angry, Natsu!" Dori barked, "We have to stop him before he starts the Moon Drip ceremony!" "Right! I'm on his tail!" Palva barked, racing after Zalty, with Dori right behind her.

"Natsu!" Gray roared as Natsu was about to take off. The said Dragon Slayer stopped and turned to Gray, declaring, "I'm gonna beat that guy to a pulp, a million times over! I'll leave things here in your hands! It will be a disgrace if you lose again."

Gray seemed surprised Natsu was willing to allow him the opportunity to fight his old 'friend', but he understood with a simple, "Yeah…"

"And not for you!" Natsu continued. "I know." Gray answered. "But for all of Fairy Tail!" they both answered simultaneously. They grinned at one another for a few seconds, then Natsu took off after the sisters and Zalty.

"My, you two are a boisterous pair." Lyon noted, drawing Gray's attention.

"Just now, did you foresee that Natsu would stop me from using Iced Shell?" he asked.

"No, I didn't anticipate that guy being capable of getting close to such magic." Lyon answered.

"Then you were serious about taking it?" Gray asked.

"That's right. But I will be saved." Lyon answered, "I said 'do it', because I was aware of that." "I knew it…" Gray growled. He should've realized it was pointless.

"Even if I am entrapped within the ice, I still have my faithful comrades outside." Lyon explained, "And this is the island where Moon Drip can be used to undo Iced Shell."

"That was careless of me." Gray understood, "Using Iced Shell is practically futile here."

"And yet, you still desire to settle the score with me?" Lyon asked, "You cannot win against-."

"Just stop it." Gray interrupted, startling Lyon, "Give up on Deliora."

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Lyon questioned angrily, "First you threaten, now you try to persuade me? Does your guild have a dentist that removed your fangs already?"

Gray didn't feel intimated by this. Instead, he calmly began, "Lyon, listen to me carefully: Ur is still alive!" The news seemed to startle Lyon a bit.

"Iced Shell is a spell that turns the body of its' user into ice. The ice that entrapped Deliora." Gray explained, "The very same ice you are trying to melt now is Ur herself! Ur transformed into ice and lives on until today. I apologize for not letting you know about this before. I promised Ur that I wouldn't."

He recounted the words Ur told him before she became ice. " _If he knew that I've become ice, he would spend his entire life trying to undo the spell."_

"It's over. There's no need to go through with-." Gray started. He was stopped, however, by Lyon approaching him and hitting him with a magic spell straight through his body. An iced tiger formed on his back, and the piercing attack caused immense amount of pain to Gray as he tried reaching out to Lyon, but he ended up falling to his knees, breaking the ice on his back, until he fell to the ground.

"I know all about that." Lyon stated with a malicious smirk, "But that ice is no longer Ur. It is just a frozen stone that remains."

Gray struggled to get up, shocked and enraged to hear that Lyon knew what happened to Ur, and what he considered the ice. "You knew…all along?" he questioned, his head falling back to the iced ground again.

"You don't honestly believe that Ur is alive either, right?" Lyon questioned, "Just grow up already."

Rage fully enveloped Gray's heart as he glared daggers at Lyon, hissed, "You knew everything, and yet…!" His rage became his strength as he rose back up onto his feet, clutching the place Lyon's attack went through.

"And what of it?" the said Ice mage asked. Gray didn't answer, but instead, he retaliated with an angry swing of his fist that sent Lyon careening into the iced wall on the other side of the room, face-first. He slid to the ground, but instantly caught himself on his feet as he gasped, "Impossible! How can you move despite such a grave injury?!"

"I have had enough." Gray sneered, his face reverting to a calm demeanor, but still feeling hatred for his fellow pupil, "I have had enough of trying to save you."

"Which means from now on you will attempt to defeat me?" Lyon questioned, "I am saving my power for the battle with Deliora. You see, I don't want to waste my magical power."

Gray raised a fist straight in front of him as he said, "We will settle it this way, then."

"In other words no magic, right?" his opponent translated, "Fine then."

Gray roared as he charged at Lyon, but he came at him quickly with a fist to his injury, sending him to the ground. "Aim for your opponent's weak points during combat. That was what Ur taught us, remember?"

"Don't you dare…speak that name!" Gray roared, turning to retaliate, but ended up with a knee to the same injury. He gagged, but he was far from finished. He had to take down Lyon, once and for all. All for Ur, and Fairy Tail.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dori and Palva were in hot pursuit of Zalty, with Natsu trying to catch up from behind, roaring as he demanded the guy to stop.

"Hold it right there!" Dori roared, " **Crystal Wall!** " She summoned a few walls of crystal in Zalty's path, stopping him abruptly. He turned to see Dori, Palva and Natsu surrounding the path behind him.

"Now you can't run from us!" Palva barked. "How the hell did you restore the ruins?!" Natsu demanded.

Zalty chuckled as he raised a hand, and a large magic circle appeared from it. All of a sudden, a circular piece of rock caved in from the wall above, aiming towards Natsu. "Watch out!" Dori shouted to him.

"Do you think this will work on me?!" Natsu demanded, and he ignited his foot in flames, kicking the piece of rock into rubble. Zalty grinned as he waved his hand, and the rubble suddenly rose up, forming into the circular rock it was before, and resting back into the ceiling once more, as if the whole thing never happened.

The trio were startled at how he was able to do that, while Zalty stated, "Just like what you saw, that was how I restored the ruins."

"I never seen anything like it!" Palva gasped. "W-What is that magic?!" Natsu demanded.

Dori, on the other hand, was startled, as she deciphered from that demonstration and from before in the throne room what he did. "You used Time magic!" Dori gasped, drawing the attention of the Dragon Slayers, "That's your power, right?"

"Very good! I honestly am surprised you were able to figure that out." Zalty praised her.

"He can control time?" Natsu questioned. "He reversed time to bring that rock back to normal, just as he did with the columns Natsu and I destroyed that tilted these ruins." Dori explained, "And as for summoning that hole underneath Natsu before, he merely sped the time forward on the rock, deteriorating them."

"It's good to know at least one of you has the brains to figure this out." Zalty stated, causing the Dragon Slayers to feel insulted, "That's right. I have a form of Lost Magic called the 'Arc of Time'. It's called Lost Magic because it was so powerful and contains such grave costs, that it has been removed from history itself."

"They were erased from history?!" Natsu questioned.

"Right, I've heard of this, as well." Dori recalled, "Apparently, Dragon Slayer magic is also included in such kinds of magic, too." "Seriously?!" Natsu and Palva questioned in amazement.

"Still, it's too bad for you." Dori retorted, "My crystals are unable to deteriorate like many other kinds of things. Good luck trying to escape us-." Before she could finish, Zalty suddenly vanished before their eyes.

"What the heck happened?!" Natsu questioned in shock, "Where did he go? Damn it!"

"I thought you said he couldn't get away!" Palva accused her sister.

"I forgot he had that power." Dori recalled how he disappeared before in the throne room, "Natsu, Palva, tell me you were able to get the guy's scent."

"Yeah, I did." Natsu answered, sniffing about, "But the guy's scent was a bit weird."

"Same here. He smelled a bit feminine." Palva described, causing Dori to look confused, "Still, he's not too far off. Let's go, Natsu!" Dori lowered her Crystal Walls, and they rushed to some stairs that went further down towards the base levels.

* * *

Back outside again, Erza and Leon's team were still surrounded as they fought off all of Lyon's followers. Erza and Leon were still going hard, while Lucy, Pastry and Happy were slightly tired from fighting so much, while the enemy had either that much stamina, or they were that dedicated to halting them from falling down entirely.

"Guys, have you noticed it?" Erza questioned the team. "Yeah, I have." Leon answered.

"Same here. Even though there are many of them, their magic powers seem really weak." Lucy noticed.

"Exactly. There shouldn't be more than five decent mages here." Erza pointed out.

"Aw, geez, I won't be able to get serious with them, then." Happy stated in a boisterous tone. "Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, cat." Pastry retorted.

"I kinda feel this is a pointless battle for me to take part in, now." Leon stated, turning to the blonde, "Lucy, why don't you demonstrate your talents to finish them off, okay?"

"Leave it to me!" Lucy answered, pulling out a golden key, and casting her summoning spell, " **Open! Gate of the Crab: Cancer!** " Out of the summoning gate came a middle-aged human man with yellow-tinted sunglasses, a blue and black-stripped buttoned-down shirt, black jeans, six crab legs produced from his back, and coral-like horns, wielding two pairs of standard-looking scissors.

"Who's this weirdo? He ain't no crab." Pastry questioned in confusion. "Aren't you…?" Erza started, recalling meeting him before.

Cancer suddenly produced a bouquet of roses as he knelt to Erza. "It is a pleasure to be at your command, Miss Erza. Snip~" he greeted in a low tone.

"What's with the 'miss'?! And that 'Snip'?! I'm the one who summoned you!" Lucy barked in an unbelieving tone. "You're quipping too much!" Happy stated.

"First that Virgo girl, now this guy. You're spirits are definitely unique in some ways." Leon muttered with a sweat-dropped expression.

"Anyway, neutralize them!" Lucy ordered. "Okay, baby." Cancer answered, snipping his scissors. He came at the swarm of enemies with his scissors like it was nothing, trimming the steel weapons they carried and taking all of them down with ease. Leon was quite impressed that he was able to do this with supposedly ordinary scissors.

When he was done, all of the followers had fallen, and were finally too injured to get back up again. With his job done, Cancer left the battlefield.

"Impressive work." Erza commended Lucy's magic, "Let us hurry on ahead." "Right." Lucy answered, with Leon nodding in agreement.

"W-Wait!" barked the old woman before, and they all turned to see her face finally unveiled, along with the young man who was by her side before. "We won't let you hinder the Cold Emperor!" she grimaced.

"Those hair ornaments…" Erza recognized, "You guys are natives of Brago, aren't you?"

"Brago? But that's the place Gray told us about, right?" Pastry recalled.

"Yeah. That's where Ur sealed it away in the Iced Shell." Leon remembered, looking at the natives, "I see, so it's revenge, huh? You want it to be destroyed entirely after it destroyed Brago." The old lady gritted her teeth, proving Leon's statement to be true.

* * *

Back in the ruins, Natsu and Palva led Dori down to the base floor, where they sniffed out Zalty's trail within the hole Natsu created before that led to the caverns. They dove down and raced towards the place Deliora remained frozen in the Iced Shell. They saw the masked man standing in front of the frozen demon, grinning up at it.

"There you are!" Natsu roared, leaping into action with a fiery fist, "For now, let's get things blazing!" He hammered his fist at the spot Zalty was at, but he jumped to avoid the attack.

"You won't get away that easily, you freaky tiki mask guy!" Palva shouted, having made a leap into the air just as Natsu lunged, and she shot herself at Zalty as well. He avoided her attack just as easily, leaping up to a different platform of rock while her attack broke the ground.

"Such pleasant words and name-callings!" Zalty sassed, "But, how did you know I was here?"

"We, Dragon Slayers, have a great sense of smell." Natsu answered. "Yeah, speaking of which, why do you smell like women's perfume?" Palva asked, "You're not one of those cross-dressers on the sidelines, are you?"

Zalty laughed at this as he stated, "I must resurrect Deliora, no matter what."

"Give it up already! It's impossible now." Natsu retorted with confidence.

"Really? And why is it impossible?" Zalty questioned the Dragon Slayer.

"Because Gray will crush that guy, and I'll crush you. A million times!" Natsu declared, pointing a finger at Zalty.

"Don't you mean WE will crush him?" Palva asked, standing next to Natsu with a raised lance, "I want to have a go at taking this guy down, and ending this whole demon revival."

"Careful, you two." Dori warned them, standing right next to her sister, "This guy wields a lot of magical power if he can restore this temple back to normal. Don't underestimate him. Besides, look up there." Palva and Natsu looked up and were startled. Moonlight was starting to shine down onto the Iced Shell, coming from a magic circle from the ceiling.

"L-Light?!" Natsu gasped. "It's Moon Drip!" Palva realized, "But who's doing the ceremony? Leon and the others should be dealing with the followers in the jungle!"

Dori thought through the roster of enemies remaining, then came to the conclusion; the dog-faced young man, Toby, was the only one capable of performing the ceremony. Could it really be done by just one person, though?

"The Moon Drip effect may be weak with just one person, but we have already gathered plenty of moonlight." Zalty explained, "We had only needed a chance to provide a little more. Look." At this, the liquid moonlight suddenly caused part of the Iced Shell to break off and melt.

"OH, CRAP!" Natsu cried out in fear, "Deliora's ice is melting off!"

"It's gonna revive anytime soon!" Palva exclaimed, "We have to stop the guy doing the ceremony!" Both Dragon Slayers started racing back to the way they came in, while Dori cried out, "Don't be so reckless! We won't make it in time!"

Zalty raised a hand, and a column of rock suddenly fell from the ceiling above, nearly slamming itself down onto Natsu and Palva, making them fall over from the shockwave of the impact. Dori was both shocked at the sudden attack, and relieved to see them okay.

"I will not let you escape." he warned them, getting the attention of the trio, "Coming after me was a mistake, indeed. You three were pretty foolish." All three of them growled at how foolish they were to fall for a trap like this, while Zalty laughed heartily.

"SHUT UP!" Natsu and Palva shot at him angrily with fists and lances ignited in flames, attempting to strike him down. He avoided the attack before it could make contact.

"Are you sure about that?" the masked man asked, "Are you sure about using Fire Magic under these circumstances? You'll just accelerate the thawing of Deliora."

Natsu answered with a vigorous flaming foot that nearly struck Zalty. "If Fire Magic could melt the ice, you guys would've had it easy wouldn't you?" Natsu asked.

"You can't fool us with stuff like that!" Palva barked, appearing in the air high above the two with flaming feet, "We'll stop you here, then deal with the guys above us. After that, it'll be all over!" She rocketed herself down at Zalty with her feet flaming behind her. Natsu and Zalty both dodged her attack as she came landing with an ax kick that destroyed the entire rocky area about them.

"I am surprised by the speed and acuteness of your thoughts in the midst of battle." Zalty stated, "I'm even more impressed by the amount of power you deliver, child. You two might be worth my time."

While they distracted him, Dori quickly summoned her communication lacrima. "Leon, Come in!" she called to it, "Can you hear me?!"

Nothing happened for a few seconds, then Leon's face appeared on the lacrima. "What is it? I'm kinda busy here." he responded.

"If you are busy, then I assume you are stopping the Moon Drip ceremony that's happening right now?" Dori questioned.

"Eh?! Why is the ceremony happening right now?!" Lucy's voice came from the lacrima. "This is bad! We gotta stop it!" Happy exclaimed.

"So the others are with you now, huh? Good." Dori understood, "Listen to me. Only one person is performing the ceremony right now. Natsu, Palva and I have our hands full here, so you have to stop him, fast!"

"You got it." Leon answered, and the lacrima went blank. Dori made the lacrima vanished, and glared at Zalty, prepared to fight him as well.

* * *

Within the jungle, Leon pocketed the lacrima as Erza questioned, "How do you plan to get there quickly?" He turned to her with a glare as he answered, "Through the wings of my best friend."

Suddenly, angel wings produced on the back of his coat. In truth, it was Pastry grabbing him from the back, and taking him into the sky. "Let's go stop that ceremony, Pastry!" Leon roared.

"I won't let you down!" Pastry answered, and he accelerated himself up to where the top of the temple was.

* * *

Back up in the throne room, both Gray and Lyon were still at it. Although Lyon had the upper hand at the beginning, Gray's tenacity and experience from fighting Natsu since they were kids allowed him to overwhelm him in the fist fight. Then Lyon decided to let go of his previous statement of preserving magic, and started using it on Gray again. In the midst of this, they felt the ground shake from the Iced Shell melting.

"The ruins are shaking again…" Gray stated.

"The Moon Drip ceremony has begun." Lyon noticed, his eyes full of malicious desires, "The ice on Deliora has started melting." Gray realized this meaning Ur's magic seal was starting to disappear as they stood there.

"It seems like this this it. You were not able to stop me." Lyon stated, summoning icy energy about him, "Do you know how long I have waited for this moment? Gathering allies and knowledge for the last ten years, to finally learn of this island. The island where moonlight can be gathered; Galuna!"

He summoned more Ice-Make Eagles at Gray, who dodged out of the way as they hailed all about him. He then put up a shield of ice to protect himself from the peppering attack. "We carried Deliora here from Brago!" Lyon explained, "And that was three years ago."

"Have you been wasting your time on this useless crap for three years?!" Gray question, disgusted that he wasted so much of his life.

"Useless?!" Lyon barked, his pupil's dilating and his magic energy surging, "This is coming from someone who's been laying idle in a guild for the past ten years!" He shot a much larger icy bird at Gray, who knew he couldn't block it, so he dodged it as it hit the ground strongly.

"I just believed Ur's words!" Gray growled back at Lyon, "She told us of mages stronger than her in the western countries. And it was Fairy Tail that I arrived at. There were heaps of amazing mages. It was unbelievable. I asked Gramps about a way to free Ur from the Iced Shell, too. He had an idea, but he stated that melting the ice would be the same as killing Ur. Now that I think of it, Gramps was probably going to mention Moon Drip." He glared angrily at Lyon as he finished, "And to think that the one to kill Ur would be her senior pupil! You're a disappointment!"

"Say whatever you want." Lyon retorted, not even phased by Gray's speech, "I have lived on for this day alone. How can a pupil, who was left behind, surpass his dead teacher…?" He summoned magic energy into his hand, forming a monster's head as he charged at Gray, roaring, "Think about it! It's Deliora! If I can obliterate the one thing my teacher would not defeat, then I can surpass her!"

"That aspiration of yours is admirable, but you don't realize that you've taken the wrong path along the way!" Gray roared, dodging every attack Lyon delivered with his lion-headed hand. He summoned a blade of ice, and slashed Lyon's iced fist with one swipe.

"Do you think someone who sees nothing could ever beat Ur?" he asked, "Think again! Not in a hundred years!" He slashed Lyon hard with his blade of ice, only to discover that Lyon was an iced decoy. " **Ice-Make…** " He heard Lyon's voice behind him, " **…Snow Tiger!** " With one hand, he summoned a giant beast of ice that came at Gray with sharp fangs and claws.

Gray wasn't even phased by this as he flipped upwards, shouting, " **Ice Make Prison!** " He summoned a giant cage beneath him that sealed the tiger in.

He flipped onto his feet, standing on top of the cage as he turned to the startled Lyon. "This is your true form, Lyon." Gray compared him, "A pitiful, wild beast who knows nothing of the world."

"Foolishness! I'll destroy that Creation Magic of yours!" Lyon roared, raising a hand to control the beast within the cage, but for some reason, he was having trouble freeing it or allowing it to use its' full power.

Gray landed onto the ground as he warned Lyon, "Creations made with one hand are imbalanced. So they lack power during crucial moments."

He placed a fist into his open palm as he used his Maker magic again, summoning a large circle beneath him. " **Ice Cannon!** " he roared, summoning a large bazooka weapon made out of ice, aiming it at Lyon. He blasted Lyon with a powerful blast of energy as Lyon roared in agony, succumbed to the attack as it blasted a hole in the wall behind him, showing the night sky. When the attack died down, Lyon stood there, barely hanging on as his eyes went blank, and his clothes torn to shreds. "That's what Ur taught us, right?"

"G-Gray…" Lyon gagged, and he fell onto his back, unable to continue on with the fight. Gray sighed in relief, then winced in pain as he completely forgotten Lyon's piercing attack from the beginning of their fight. "I should've frozen this up sooner…" he grimaced, placing ice over the spot to freeze the wound.

"Gray!" cried out a voice. Gray looked outside and saw Leon and Pastry arriving up to where they were at.

"Leon!" Gray greeted. "I see you've been busy with your own battles." Pastry noticed the fallen Cold Emperor.

Leon looked to him, then back to Gray as he asked, "So, you feel fulfilled, now?"

"Mostly." Gray answered, "What about you? What are you doing here?"

"We're gonna stop the ritual from happening!" Leon answered, "Someone's performing the Moon Drip ceremony above us, so we'd better hurry!" Gray nodded in understand.  
Just then, he saw the leaves rustling from outside, and felt a sense of foreboding. His feelings were answered as there was a deafening bellow from down below, like a horrible monster cry. All of the guild members and allies were bracing their ears from the painful roar.

"Damn! My ears!" Leon growled, placing his hands over his ears. "It's gonna make them bleed!" Pastry cried out, already holding Leon to stop him from bracing his own ears.

Gray looked about him, stammering, "Th-That voice…I could never forget that." He recognized that voice far too well, as it was the same roar from the beast Ur sealed away. It was Deliora.

"Damn it! Has it been resurrected?!" Gray questioned in frustration. "We gotta stop the guy from unfreezing it any further!" Leon declared, "Pastry, let's go!" Enduring all he could against the roar, Pastry flew Leon up even higher, towards the top. Gray, on the other hand, felt there was only one thing he could do to stop it; Iced Shell.

* * *

Down in the caverns, Dori and the Dragon Slayers were in shock and their ears in agony as they witnessed the top half of Deliora's body completely melted off. The moment it was released, it created an ear-splitting roar that was amplified thanks to the caverns.

"It's here, it's finally here!" Zalty stated with delight. He grinned cheekily down at the trio as the demon stopped roaring.

"Damn it!" Natsu growled, "We don't have time to play around." "Agreed. We need to put this guy down and stop Deliora's revival!" Palva added.

"Don't worry about the ceremony." Dori assured them, "Leon is all over it. Just focus on this guy, for now!" Natsu and Palva looked back at her, grateful she got the message out.

All of a sudden, the two Fire Dragon Slayers were struck in the head by a pair of objects. "Guys!" Dori cried out, but ended up struck in the back by a third flying object.

"I can manipulate this as well." Zalty pointed out, as the three objects came back to circle the man, revealing themselves to be orbs of glass-like lacrima.

"Cheap shot…" Palva groaned as the trio rose to their feet again. "Bring it on!" Natsu declared.

Zalty shot an orb in a zig-zag towards Natsu, who charged in with a flaming fist, shattering the lacrima. As soon as he did this, Zalty flicked his hand, and the orb repaired itself. It then circled around, slamming hard into Natsu's gut. "But I broke it, didn't I?!" Natsu grimaced.

"It's that Time Magic!" Dori realized, before sidestepping an oncoming flying orb.

"That's correct. I can control the time of objects." Zalty explained, "In other words, I can rewind time back to before it was broken."

Palva twirled her lance about before unleashing a slash that cut the oncoming orb in half, making them pass right by her. Unfortunately, Zalty reformed it once more, making it circle around and slam her in the side, causing her to fall in pain. "Dang it all, he's right!" she moaned, "I cut it, but it just un-cut itself."

"The Arc of Time is a form of magic that has been erased from history itself." Zalty continued, "In other words, it is one of the Lost Magics." _I knew it!_ Dori understood, _This guy is on a whole different level compared to everyone else on this island_!

"How about I advance these crystals's time into the future now?" Zalty questioned, and with a wave of his hands, the orbs all sped up, as if he pressed the fast-forward button on them. Natsu and Palva got pummeled hard by the crystals, while Dori summoned a dome of crystal that protected her from the fast-forward orbs, though they started to break through with every hit it delivered onto it. Natsu and Palva kept trying to punch and kick the orbs into a million pieces, but Zalty would just rewind the clock on them, allowing them to deal out more damage to them.

"Dori, I would really appreciate it if you would actually start fighting here!" Palva exclaimed, leaping high to avoid getting hit by the orbs, "Seriously, can't you take him down?!" She ended up getting hit by the crystal orb in the back, and got sent back down to the ground with a crash.

"Palva!" Natsu cried out. He then saw another orb, and prepared to strike it down with another fiery fist. However, before it got close to his fist, it stopped in midair, startling Natsu. "It stopped?!" he gasped, seeing his raging face reflected in the orb.

"As you can see, I can also stop its' time." Zalty pointed out.

"But it won't work on humans, will it?" Natsu asked, while Palva got back onto her feet, panting slightly.

"My, my, you sure are sharp." Zalty noticed, recalling the crystal orbs back to his side, "To be precise, this magic won't work on living creatures. That's why I cannot use this magic to reverse the Iced Shell that is Ur herself."

Palva turned to the Crystal Dome as it died down, revealing Dori once more, glaring at Zalty as she questioned, "There's something I don't get. You're helping Lyon revive this demon just so that he can destroy it. Sure, I get it will boost his inflated ego, but what's in it for all of his followers and minions? And what's in it for you?"

"I can't say for sure about the others. I've only joined recently." Zalty answered.

"Then what about you? You have plenty more power than Lyon or any of those guys." Dori noticed, leaping onto the slab of rock Natsu and Palva were on.

"Oh my, I see nothing gets past you." Zalty answered, and then he started to laugh, "The Cold Emperor. That spoiled brat would never be able to hold his ground against Deliora, in the first place."

"You knew he can't beat it, and you still allowed him to revive it?!" Palva questioned. "Then will you defeat it yourself?" Natsu asked.

"Certainly not…" Zalty answered, "I want to make it mine." The news made the trio narrow their eyes in suspicion as he continued, "There are techniques that can manipulate even an immortal beast. Wouldn't it be magnificent if I had such power under my command?"

"That's such a weak reason." Dori spoke up, drawing the attention of everyone else around her, "You really wormed your way into this mess just so you can control this monster? And here I thought you were smart."

Once again, Zalty laughed as he stated, "You really don't get it. There are times when you find yourself in need of more power."

"Statements like that just make you even more pathetic." Dori stated, "People who want power, but have no reasonable goal behind it, are even weaker than normal people. If you think of yourself as this all powerful manipulator, then show me what you can do; one-on-one."

"Hey, hold on!" Natsu barked, "I'm the one who's gonna kick this guy's butt, so let me-." His sentence was stopped by a lance whipped in front of his face, directed by Palva.

"I wouldn't intimidate my sis if I were you." she warned him, "There's a reason why I put my faith in her protecting me all this time." Natsu looked at Palva, then at Dori as she readied herself to fight.

"That ego of yours will lead you to destruction." Zalty warned Dori, raising a hand and summoning a magic circle, "Ceiling! Accelerate your time and crumble!" The ceiling above the trio started to fall down towards them.

Dori pulled out her crossbow and raised it to the sky, producing a magic circle. " **Crystal Shot: Spread!** " She roared, pulling the trigger and sending over a dozen shots homing into the oncoming rubble, hitting every single piece of rubble and destroying them before they came into contact.

"Do you really think your crystals can defeat my Arc of Time magic?!" Zalty questioned, sending the three orbs at Dori at a fast pace. She leapt high to avoid the first to from colliding with her, and stopped the third one with her free hand. Zalty grinned as he believed the impact would shatter her arm, but his grin faded when he noticed his crystal orb suddenly getting absorbed into Dori's open palm, disappearing from his view. She then placed her crossbow away as she fell back down, and leapt off the rock with the two orbs flying after her. She raised her hands as she caught the two orbs from the side, absorbing them as well.

"How is that possible?!" Zalty questioned, seeing Dori landing on a column of rock nearby. "I don't just summon crystals. I can absorb them into my body." Dori explained, "Think of it like a Dragon Slayer eating their own element, only I can't replenish my magic energy from them. Although, that doesn't mean I can't use them against my opponent!" She pulled her hand back like a baseball player, and swung it forward as she summoned one of the crystal balls she absorbed, sending it hurdling at Zalty. He leapt backwards, avoiding it as the orb broke the column he was on.

"You can't absorb all of these before they pepper you black and blue, kid!" he declared, sending a dozen more crystal orbs hurdling at Dori.

" **Crystal Barrage!** " Dori roared, unleashing her own barrage of crystals from her hands, impacting the crystal orbs and causing an explosion that fumed the entire area. Natsu and Palva endured down below, while Zalty and Dori remained unfazed as the smoke covered them. They were able to have enough visibility to land on two separate columns of rock.

"All of you people are messing up the villagers on this island for the dumbest of reasons." the Crystal mage growled, "Fighting for revenge. Destroying lives to show they are better. Gaining power for no good reason…" She hurled another one of Zalty's crystal balls she absorbed straight at the column Zalty stood on, destroying it and causing him to fall with the rubble.

"…If you can manipulate time, then let's see you avoid the future I have in store for you!" Dori roared as she shot forward, blowing away the smoke with her body so she had a clear aim of Zalty, summoning the third orb she absorbed, and throwing it directly at Zalty's face, making contact and causing him to fall to the ground below with a crash.

"Alright, sis!" Palva cheered. "That was seriously awesome." Natsu stated, then he huffed, "Though I wish I could've delivered a punch to his freaky face."

Dori leapt from column to column, landing on the ground nearby where Zalty landed. The crash caused a dust cloud to form, but she was able to see the silhouette of the man inside the fumes. However, what she saw wasn't what she had expected. His mask was on the ground next to him as he, or rather she, rose herself up. She looked to see Dori standing there, amazed at what she discovered about her opponent. Realizing her mask was off, she quickly took it and placed it back on. In an instant, her body transformed back into the masked man again as the dust cloud cleared.

"What in the…" Dori started. Zalty was no longer grinning like a fool, but gritting his teeth in an irritated way. "Who…who are you?" Dori questioned, "What are you really planning?"

"It seems like I underestimated you." Zalty stated, "You may be even stronger than Salamander. Make no mistake; This won't be the last time we meet." With that, he vanished into thin air, leaving Dori bewildered. What was his, or rather her, goal in all of this? And why the disguise?

"Dori!" Natsu called down to her, causing her to look up to see the Dragon Slayer look down at her.

"You okay?!" Palva asked. "Yeah. The guy's gone for now." Dori answered, "Looks like he won't be bothering us here."

Just then, something on Palva started to glow, and she pulled out her communication lacrima. "Leon, is that you?" she asked.

"Yep. Dori told me you guys were busy on your end." Leon explained, speaking to her from the top of the temple, with Toby laying unconscious next to him, and Erza, Lucy and the cats close by, "We stopped the guy performing the ceremony. What's more, Gray defeated that Cold Emperor guy. You all done on your end?"

"Everything's peachy here." Palva answered as Dori joined her and Natsu, "Looks like there was a manipulator among their gang, but sis took care of that."

"You mean all the other guys were taken down, and I didn't managed to do that?!" Natsu barked, "This sucks!"

"You are too late!" Toby's voice shouted through the lacrima, regaining consciousness, "The ceremony is already finished!"

Just then, Deliora made another humongous roar, drawing the trio in the cavern. It unleashed a column of green energy that shot into the ceiling above, surging all the way to where Leon and the others were.

"Oh, crap! I forgot how close they were to finishing that!" Palva exclaimed, bracing herself against the impact of the magic energy.

When the energy died down, Deliora stood straight up and roared once more, leaving the trio afraid at what they were witnessing. The demon of destruction had rose once more.

* * *

 **Another chapter done. Honestly, it took me a bit longer than I thought, but I wanted to cut it off before the crew decided the fate of Deliora. That leaves one more chapter before the end of the Galuna Island arc. I hope these battles were satisfying to you all.  
**

 **And for those who have been asking about when I will continue my SAK series, I'll tell you this right now: I will return to it, eventually. Yes, I know it is long overdue for a chapter update, and yes, I left the Heart's Origin series at a pause, along with having some ideas for the Final Mix, especially with ideas after playing Kingdom Hearts 2.8. However, I am taking a good long break until I am influenced into doing it again. So please, I'm saying this as nicely as I can, but stop asking me about when it will come out next. It will come, just only when I want to do it.**

 **For now, please enjoy this new series I have in store for you. I want to try and create this series that is appealing to others, including adding new twists to this anime involving my OC characters. I love hearing your opinions on my story, so please leave a review on my work, and wait patiently for the next chapter.**


	5. Freedom from the Curse

PREVIOUSLY ON FAIRY TAIL:

Erza arrived onto Galuna Island to take everyone back to the guild to be punished for illegally taking an S-rank request. However, Gray refused to leave, and Leon scolded her into submission, causing her to help complete the mission instead. They ended up getting a history lesson from Gray about his master, Ur, and his fellow pupil, Lyon, and how Ur sacrificed herself to create the Iced Shell.

Natsu and Dori were already causing havoc on the temple to stop the demon, Deliora's, revival, but one of Lyon's minion, Zalty, used his Arc of Time magic to revert it back to normal. Everyone did their best to stop the ceremony, and while Gray defeated Lyon, and Zalty was ultimately defeated by Dori, the ceremony was a success, and Deliora was revived once more.

* * *

The trio of heroes braced themselves as the demon let out a tremendous roar, amplified from the acoustics in the cavern. However, they weren't the only ones starting up at the beast in there.

Gray had just only arrived moments ago, and looked up at the demon that haunted his life for such a long time. He felt the cold water at his feet, and looked down. Ur's Iced Shell had fully melted away, and now drenched the rocky floor. He reached down and scooped up the water, watching it seep through his hands. "Ur…" he muttered, saddened by the complete loss of his former master, and her seal.

"Gray!" Natsu and Palva called out, as the trio hopped over to where he stood. "You finally came!" Natsu noticed. "Natsu, Palva, Dori." the Ice-Make mage responded.

"Deliora's finally free." Dori noticed, looking up at the beast, "Sorry we couldn't stop the ceremony."

"It seems we've run out of options, huh?" Natsu questioned, "Let's destroy that creature!" Palva nodded in agreement, seeing no other option.

Just then, they heard someone's body crawling on the ground towards them, and they turned to see none other than Lyon, crawling his way towards the team and Deliora. He still had a demented look on his face, determined to fulfill his dream, no matter what.

"You people could never accomplish that!" he gasped, "That thing… I will… I will be the one who surpasses Ur!" He laughed in a weak, maniacal tone.

"It's even more impossible for you." Natsu pointed out. "Give it up. You can barely stand." Dori added.

Deliora roared once more behind them, drawing the team's attention back to it again. Lyon only had eyes and ears for it, not caring what Dori or Natsu. "We finally meet again, Deliora!" He recalled back to when he first heard of Ur, hearing about her being the strongest mage alive.

He slowly rose himself up onto his feet as he moaned, "The only monster that Ur was unable to defeat… Right now, with my two hands, I will defeat it!" He next recalled when he got angry at Ur for picking up Gray as a second apprentice, claiming she didn't need him, that he was enough to replace her daughter. Ur's answer to that was slapping his face and telling him he was never a replacement, but her beloved apprentice.

"I…right now…will…surpass you!" he repeated, mustering what little strength he had to fight the demon. He suddenly felt a chop from the back of his neck, delivered by Gray. He fell back down to the ground, seemingly unconscious once more.

"That's enough, Lyon." Gray told him, walking towards the demon himself, "Just leave things to me for now." He stretched his arms out, then crossed them in front of him, taking a familiar stance. The stance to make Iced Shell. "I will seal Deliora! **Iced Shell**!" His feet suddenly started to produce icy energy that encircled his body, charging up his magic.

"Stop it, Gray!" Lyon begged, raising his head, "Do you know how long it took for me to melt that ice?!" Gray didn't respond, as he stared up at the demon, the icy energy growing bigger and bigger all around him.

"History will repeat itself!" Lyon continued, "One day, I will just melt the ice and confront it again!"

"There's no other option now!" Gray barked back, "Right now, this is the only thing I can do to stop it!"

" **Crystal Lock!** " Suddenly, Gray crossed hands were frozen in crystal, and the magic energy surrounding him died away. Dori had a raised hand towards Gray, with a glare that rivaled Deliora's.

"Dori!" Gray gasped. "Don't make me repeat myself…" the Crystal mage growled at Gray, "People want you to live. Don't give your life away for something so meaningless! Stop acting like sacrificing will make things better!"

"Let me go!" Gray ordered, struggling to break the crystal off of his arms, "I have to do this! It's the only way to stop Deliora!"

"No, it's not!" Dori barked back, silencing him. She turned to Natsu and Palva and said simply, "Send it to hell." Natsu and Palva nodded in understanding, and walked themselves over in front of Gray, facing Deliora.

"You can't! No mage alive can destroy it!" Gray barked, worried for his friends's safety.

The Dragon Slayers didn't respond, but Palva stabbed her lance into the ground, relinquishing her grip on it. "We can sure as hell try." she answered, "So sit back, and watch us work our Fire magic."

Her body started to combust as a flaming aura consumed her, particularly one of her legs. Natsu ignited his fist in flames, ready to fight. Deliora roared at the two as it reeled back a fist, ready to pound the two into oblivion. "Move away!" Gray shouted to the two.

"We won't give up until it's over!" Natsu and Palva roared, unleashing a flaming punch and kick respectively. Their combined attacks struck Deliora's fist, causing a collision of fiery red and demonic green energies. The two Dragon Slayers poured all they had into their attacks, growling with all their might as they pushed their limbs against the demon's fist.

Suddenly, Deliora's fist and arm started to crack, and his fist suddenly broke off like a piece of rubble. The cracks didn't just happen there. They started forming on its' legs, body and face, shocking everyone in the room.

"What?! That wasn't me…!" Natsu gasped, backing away they witnessed this sudden chain reaction.

"How could it be that weak?!" Palva questioned, taking her lance and looking up at the beast, "It seemed way to easy…"

Implosions of energy started taking place from inside Deliora, causing it to shatter and fall. "Impossible!" Lyon gasped, "No way. It can't be!" Gray was just as petrified as Lyon was. Dori was surprised, but at the same time, she was sort of expecting this. They watched as the demon's remains caused the melted ice water to splash and shoot up like a geyser. They all came to the same conclusion, spoken by Lyon. "Deliora, it was already dead."

* * *

Up at the top of the temple, Toby on his back, moaning after feeling the agony of Deliora's roar. Lucy, Happy and Pastry ran to the edge of the temple and looked down, noticing something startling. Out of every hole of the temple, water came pouring out, racing down the side of the cliff, into the ocean.

"Seems like the others got the job done." Lyon stated, placing his blade back on his back, looking at Erza, "Let's go check in on them." Erza nodded in agreement, and the team raced down towards the caverns.

* * *

"Dammit!" Lyon barked, realizing something, "For ten years, Ur gradually drained its' life away in the ice. Are you implying…that we were looking at its' final moments?" He clenched his fists as he hammered one on the ground. "I'm no match for her!" he sobbed, tears pouring down his face, "I'll never surpass Ur!"

"I should've realized it from the start." Dori understood, settling herself next to Lyon, "It is a special kind of magic, after all. It must've done something to Deliora all this time. Looks like all your hard work from your selfish desires have come to an end, have they?" Lyon continued to sob, while Dori watched him with a slight frown on her face. He was so desperate to surpass his master, he couldn't think of anything else. Now, his dream has literally crumbled away, right before his eyes.

Natsu looked to Gray as he stood there, his eyes shadowed. "You're master's amazing!" Natsu stated with a grin. "I agree. Her Iced Shell saved us, after all." Palva added.

Gray didn't respond at first, then he started to tear up and sob in front of them. Ur promised him that she would free him from the darkness, and she did just that. For ten years, she had slowly chipping away at the darkness, finally bringing Gray to the light, once more.

"You saved my life again. Thank you, Ur!" he sobbed, trying to hide his tear-strained eyes with his hand. Natsu grinned at his grateful tears, while Palva gave a smirk, glad to see at least he was free from the curse of darkness.

Just then, the team heard some outcries as the rest of the team from above joined them in the cave. Happy hugged Natsu hard, both of them happy to see one another. Natsu's grin was diminished as he noticed Erza, and he tried to run away from her, only to be held by her from his scarf. Dori and Palva joined up with Leon and Pastry, the grins on their faces demonstrating how accomplished they felt. Gray went and picked up Lyon, holding his arm around his shoulders. Lucy watched all of this taking place, thinking to herself about everything that happened, and what she thought Ur said to her students before her melted ice fell into the ocean.

* * *

Moments later, the team found themselves a path through the caves that led outside the temple, on the rocky shores that led to the ocean.

"Yea-ha-ha! It's over, it's over!" Natsu cheered, punching the air with both fists. "Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

"So true! I was wondering how this was going to end for a moment there." Lucy sighed, "Ur is really incredible."

"There were plenty of close moments there, but nothing all of us couldn't handle." Palva stated, "Gotta admit, it was pretty fun."

"You? Having fun?" Dori questioned her sister, "That's something I haven't heard in such a long time." Palva looked at her sister's grinning face, and looked away with a blushing, disgruntled expression.

"With this, we've completed an S-rank quest!" Natsu exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Oh, yeah!" Happy whooped.

"Will we possibly be allowed to enter the second floor now?" Lucy wondered excitedly.

"Ahem!" Leon cleared his throat, drawing the team's attention towards him as he stood next to Erza, who glared at the Fairy Tail mages. They all panicked as they realized there were still consequences for breaking the rules awaiting them. "Oh, crap…the punishment still awaits!" Lucy realized.

"Punishment?" Dori questioned. "Yeah, that's the Erza person who the others were scared of." Pastry pointed out, "Didn't scare me, though." "YOU WERE MORE TERRIFIED THAN THE REST OF US!" Palva retorted in an outraged tone.

"Before that, isn't there something you must do?" Erza asked the team, "Wasn't the true objective of this job was to save the villagers who turned into demons?"

The team came to the realization of what she meant. They didn't come to this island to stop Deliora's revival or defeating the demon. It was to lift the curse off of Galuna Island, turning the villagers back to normal humans.

"The S-class quest has yet to end." Erza finished. "B-But, Deliora is dead…" Lucy pointed out, "With that, the curse on the village should end-."

"Hold on." Dori interrupted her, "Now that I think about it, was it really the cause? It was inside the Iced Shell, which prevented it from freeing itself, let alone bring about a curse. That can't be the reason behind the island's curse, right?"

"That's correct." Erza answered, "The phenomenon you call a curse, wasn't Deliora's influence. The tremendous magical power of the Moon Drip, caused the disaster that befell these people. Even though Deliora has crumbled, the situation won't improve, right?"

"Actually, I notice the moon is still purple." Leon pointed out, looking into the sky to see the moon behind the clouds. "You're right!" Lucy gasped, looking up with him.

"Then, let's go and sort that out, shall we?" Natsu suggested, raising a hand. "Aye sir!" Happy answered, giving him a high-five.

"How will we do that?" Gray asked. He then had an inspiration and turned to the only person with them who was here longer than them; Lyon, who was resting his back on the rock nearby.

"Let me say this; I have no idea." the ex-Cold Emperor responded. "What did you say?!" Natsu questioned.

"If you guys don't know, then how will we lift the curse-." Palva started.

"Three years ago, when we came to this island, we learned of the village's existence." Lyon interrupted her, "However, we never intruded with the villages. And not once, have they come to meet us."

This bit of news startled the crew as Pastry asked, "You're kidding, right? You guys are like next door neighbors to one another on this island. How can you live so close and not make contact with one another for three years?!"

"Now that you mention it, Moon Drip should have shone on the ruins every night, right?" Lucy recalled, "Isn't it strange that they've never investigated the place?"

"What's more, we have to take into account for one more fact." Dori added, pointing at Lyon, "Although it's been three years here, neither Lyon nor the people with him looked like they were affected by the Moon Drip. They don't have any sort of demon-like limbs on them."

"Yeah, your right!" Lucy realized, examining Lyon. Now that he thought about it, why didn't any of Lyon's followers even remotely become a demon, even as they were bathed in the moonlight for three years?

"Be careful." Lyon warned them, "They must be hiding something. Well, it's a guild's job from here on, isn't it?"

"We're not from any guild." Palva repeated herself, "We just came along because I wanted to join with Natsu."

"But that doesn't mean we should figure out how to remove their curse." Leon added, "Let's head back to see what's their status."

"Yeah, speaking of which, you guys ain't off the hook!" Natsu barked at Lyon, "You guys destroyed the villa-." He was interrupted by Erza squeezing his cheeks closed with her gauntlet hand.

"That's enough." Erza stopped him, "They all had their personal reasons to follow Lyon. There is no need to point out faults, anymore."

"They only followed Lyon's ambitions all because Deliora destroyed their families, and that he would satisfy their grudge against what atrocities it did." Leon explained, "At least, that's what that dog-faced Toby told us. For now, let's get outta here."

"But how are we going to lift the curse, then?" Natsu asked.

"They did suggest destroying the moon." Palva recalled the chief's order, "I wonder if that really is the only way?" They all thought about it as they walked back along the shores towards the village storage area.

Gray stood there, turning to Lyon with a considerate look. Dori stopped and looked back to watch him.

"What are you looking at?" Lyon asked sternly.

"You should join a guild somewhere, too." Gray suggested, "You'll have comrades and rivals, and you will definitely find a new goal."

Lyon looked surprised at this, but he looked away as he stubbornly replied, "How foolish. Just go already."

Gray had to smile at his stubborn demeanor, while Dori watched them, wondering. _Being in a guild, huh?_ she wondered, _When I help my sister control her flames, I wonder what my next goal in life will be? Will joining a guild really help me find one? Will I really have friends to be with?_

* * *

It took a while, but the team managed to make it to the storage area, leaving Lyon behind. However, they were confused to see that the entire place was deserted. No one was around, not a demon or human.

"Huh? There's no one here." Happy noticed. "Was everyone here?" Natsu asked.

Palva took a sniff in the air and answered, "It smells like they were here recently. I wonder what drew them away?"

"Well, their village is gone." Lucy pointed out, "I wonder what happened."

As everyone went out searching for any signs of the villagers, Gray went into the tent he was in before, grabbing some ointment and bandages for his wounds.

Just then, the team heard footsteps as someone called out, "Everyone, you have returned." They turned to see one of the green demon villagers approaching them from the outskirts.

"We've been looking all over for you guys." Pastry told him, "Where were you?"

"Th-There has been a major development!" the villager explained, "Please hurry back to the village." Everyone was confused at this. Why would he want to come back to the remains of the village? However, they didn't argue as Gray regrouped with them, and they all followed the villager back to the remains.

When they arrived there once more, they found something that shocked all of them. The village was back to normal once more. There was no hole made from the acid, nor did it even look like it had been attacked at all.

"Whoa! What is this?!" Lucy gasped. "This isn't how we left it yesterday!" Palva recalled.

"What's going on here?!" Natsu demanded in a surprisingly angry tone as he hammered the walls of one of the houses, "Everything's restored to normal! It's as if it went back in time."

"Since it's repaired and all, I think you'd better not touch it." Lucy muttered in a hesitant tone.

Natsu got pretty angry at this statement as he argued, "Are you saying I destroy everything I touch?!" "Pretty much." Lucy sighed.

Dori heard all of this and pondered on something Natsu said. _It went back in time?_ she wondered, _It couldn't be…_ Apparently, Natsu also thought of this as well, thinking about Zalty. He could have the potential to revert this town to normal with his Arc of Time magic, but why? Did he have a change of heart? That seemed unlikely. While Dori wondered if there were any other alternative solutions to the town going back to normal, Natsu decided to brush it aside, leaving Lucy confused as to what he was thinking about before, before remembering about their luggage.

Meanwhile, Palva and Leon walked over to where Bobo's grave was at, and saw the demonized chieftain kneeling in front of it.

"Guess his son's grave is back to normal, too." Palva noticed. "The chieftain should be grateful for that, at least." Leon added.

They stepped closer, drawing the attention of the chieftain. "Were you the ones who restored the village?" he asked. "Not exactly…" Palva answered haphazardly.

The chieftain rose to his feet and turned to them as he said, "Regarding that, you have my gratitude. But…" He then looked his senile self as he questioned, "I still have one question to ask; Exactly when will you destroy the moon for us?!" Palva and Leon seemed a bit hesitant as Lucy, Happy, Gray and Pastry joined in from the sidelines, wondering if they would respond.

"Destroying the moon is an easy task." Erza spoke up, coming from between the two mages in front of the chieftain. The casual response surprised everyone.

"Did she just say something outrageous with a straight face?" Gray questioned.

"Aye! Typical Erza." Happy stated. "That's typical for her?" Pastry questioned him in a disbelieving tone.

"Before that, though, there is something I would like to confirm." Erza continued, "Could you please gather everyone?" The chieftain did as he was told, and scurried to gather the villagers together, while Erza gathered her guild mates and Dori's group together with them. They all came together at the front gate, with Erza facing all of them, and her fellow mages behind her.

"So to sum it all up, you are all changed into this form when the purple moon appears." Erza summed up, "Is that accurate?"

"Well, to be precise: we assume this form when THAT moon comes." the chieftain corrected her.

"If I understand correctly, this began three years ago, right?" Erza asked, beginning to pace to one side. The villagers responded with answers that confirmed this claim.

"But, Moon Drip has occurred every night for the past three years on this island." Erza pointed out, "You should have been able to see the light twinkling on the ruins every night."

Erza hadn't even looked where she was going when her foot stepped on a familiar pile of grass in front of the gate. The grass gave way, revealing a pitfall trap a certain blonde formed before, and the scarlet swordswoman fell in with a girly 'kya~', shocking everyone, especially the Fairy Tail mages.

"Oh, even the pitfall has been restored!" Happy gasped. "And even SHE fell into it!" Pastry added with a hanging mouth.

"Sh-She just said 'Kya~'." Natsu heard. "H-How cute…" Gray muttered with a blush, while Lucy whined as she tried to withdraw all claim of making the hole.

"Isn't that just normal for a girl to say 'Kya~' from a situation like that?" Palva questioned, wondering why they would be shocked at this. Dori shrugged, while Leon strangely held back the urge to burst out laughing by having his hands over his mouth.

Erza crawled out of the pitfall trap almost casually, and continued, "Therefore, that is the most suspicious place on this island, right?" The villagers all seemed amazed and confused at the fact she got back up from that like it was nothing to think about, wondering how strong she was.

"I don't understand. Why have you never investigated?" Erza asked. Her question caused the demon villagers to start sweating, somewhat unsure on how to answer it.

Finally, the chieftain answered, "W-Well, that's because we're forbidden to ever set foot near the ruins. That is one of our village's laws."

"Seriously?! That's your excuse?!" Palva questioned, "You're literally losing villagers to this curse, and you won't break laws to help save yourselves?!"

"That's true, and judging from the huge reward offered to guilds, you really needed our help." Lucy added.

The chieftain looked pretty nervous at the facts, and was unable to find a lie or loophole they couldn't exploit. "Why don't you just give us the truth." Leon questioned them, "If we know the issue better, we can help."

"W-Well, about that… We don't really understand either." the chieftain explained, "Honestly, we have tried to investigate the ruins many times before. Everyone was armed with weapons, even though we're not accustomed to them, and I even shaved my sideburns perfectly."

 _Was there really a reason to add that last part, old man?_ Pastry wondered in a bemused expression.

"…We tried numerous times to get to the ruins." the chieftain continued, "But, we just couldn't get near them. Even though we walked towards the ruins, we were back at the village before we knew it. We just couldn't get near those ruins."

"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked. "Even we entered them without any problems." Natsu pointed out.

"We didn't mention it because we thought you wouldn't believe us." the red male demon explained. "It's true. We have tried to reach the ruins many times before." a black male demon added. "But not a single villager has ever made it there." a green male demon finished.

Dori and Erza pulled all their information into each other's minds, sorted it out with what they learned of the island from the past couple days, and came up with a conclusion. Erza managed to beat Dori to the idea first.

"Just as I thought…" the scarlet-haired swordswoman muttered. "It's surprising, but it makes sense if we look at the problem from a different viewpoint." Dori added, looking at her. The rest of the team seemed confused at this as Erza stepped forward, her body emanating a pink misty energy, as she began to Requip.

"Natsu, come with me." she called to the Salamander, transforming into a new kind of armor that had a barbaric appearance, golden with black trimming and white fur in some parts, large pointed shouderguards, different gauntlets on both arms, dark blue gloves, a white collar, blue-plate armored footwear, and golden animal-like ears for hair ornaments.

"We shall now destroy the moon!" she told him. Natsu seemed excited, while everyone else, besides Dori, gave outcries of total bewilderment.

"We'll destroy the moon, and revert everyone back to their original forms." the scarlet swordswoman informed Natsu. Her words were a blessing to the villagers, as they started to cheer in joy, all excited to see them perform such a feet.

Natsu asked Erza excitedly, "If we're gonna destroy the moon, shouldn't we do it from the top of the ruins? It's higher than here!"

"No, this will do." she answered, "Moreover, the villagers can't get near the ruins."

"Do they really intend to destroy the moon?" Gray asked, "It should be impossible, even for Erza, right?"

"I really question whether this will work or not." Palva muttered.

"It's really exciting, huh?" Happy asked, grasping onto Lucy's shoulder. "More like terrifying…" Lucy muttered.

"Why aren't you saying anything about this?" Pastry asked Dori, "Surely, you don't think those two can do it?" "Actually, I can." she answered, causing the ginger cat to be shocked at how casually she responded.

"This is the Giant Armor." Erza explained her new gear, "It adds power to throws. And…" she raised a hand, producing a magic circle that conjured up a heavy, decorative lance, "This is the De-Malevo-Lance. It can repel darkness."

"Awesome! So you'll throw that at the moon and destroy it!" Natsu exclaimed. _No, no, that's impossible…_ the other mages, excluding Dori, retorted in their thoughts.

"That's correct, but that alone isn't enough for it to reach the moon." Erza pointed out, turning to Natsu, "That's why I want you to give it a boost with your flames. When I throw the lance, strike its' rear end with all your strength. By combining the throwing power of the Giant Armor with your flames, we will destroy the moon!"

"All right! Got it!" Natsu answered determinately. "Let's go." she told him, and they went over to one of the watchtowers by the gate, leaving the rest of the mages confused and worried.

"Why are they both so heated up about it?" Gray asked. "Don't tell me they're actually going to destroy the moon…" Lucy muttered.

"Dori, it looks like you know what's gonna happen, don't you?" Leon asked her.

"I do. Although, I was figuring using Palva's dragoon skills and Fire magic to do the same thing, but with more accuracy." Dori explained, surprising her little sister, "However, I want to see what Fairy Tail is really capable of, so let's see what they are capable of."

Moments later, the team watched from the ground as Natsu and Erza stood on the watchtower, ready to go. Erza then raised her lance, pulling it back like a javelin thrower, directing the tip towards the moon. The jewel on the gauntlet of her throwing arm started to glow and produce a magic circle, charging up her throwing power. Finally, as she wound up her throw, she called to Natsu, who threw his fiery fist at the butt of the lance. It produced flames from part of the head of the lance, acting like a turbo engine. The power caused the roof of the watchtower to be blown off as the lance shot straight into the sky with tremendous force. The villagers were amazed, while the other Fairy Tail mages were distraught at the fact they are destroying more things again.

They all watched at the lance kept flying higher and higher, leaving the island far behind it. Everyone watched with gaping mouths as they thought they were witnessing a miracle. "Reach it!" Erza roared. "Just a little more…" Dori muttered. Natsu was excitedly watching from behind Erza.

As it reached the center of the moon high above them, the lance suddenly collided with it, and there was an explosion of light that lasted for only a second. There was a moment's pause, then the moon suddenly began to crack. "NO WAY!" Gray and Lucy exclaimed. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Palva and Pastry followed. Leon was just open-mouthed in amazement, while Dori narrowed her eyes.

The crack on the moon started to grow and cover the entire area of the moon, and everyone believed they were witnessing a miracle in the making. What everyone didn't expect was for the crack to start to grow outside of the moon's circumference. All of a sudden, the very sky shattered apart, revealing the moon still in one piece above the sky, but now in its' normal white form. It was as if a giant glass dome in the sky broke apart, revealing the outside sky in its' full glory. The parts that shattered came down in a glittering rain onto the island.

"The moon…!" Natsu gasped. "It's still there!" the chieftain noticed.

"It wasn't the moon that broke, but the sky?!" Lucy questioned in amazement.

"I knew it." Dori understood, drawing the mages around her, "I figured it out after we talked to Lyon last. This island has been covered by a noxious membrane of magical energy."

"A what now?" Pastry questioned, confused. "In other words, a gas was formed over the island thanks to the Moon Drip ceremony." Dori explained, "It crystallized and became an invisible dome, covering the sky above the island. That's why the moon was purple."

"So that's what caused the curse?!" Lucy asked incredulously. "It was." the Crystal mage answered, "But now that it's broken, the curse has been lifted. And if I'm right again, what comes next will completely surprise all of us." Everyone seemed confused, but noticed the villagers starting to glow.

"With the evil magic membrane broken, the island will regain its' original radiance." Erza stated as she and Natsu watched the villagers glow. When the light died down, the team were surprised to see that the villagers were still demons. Even they were surprised at this.

"They're no…reverting back?" Gray questioned. "No way…" Happy muttered.

"Actually, this is who they really are." Dori stated, getting the team's attention again, "I figured that out after realizing neither Lyon or any of his followers didn't change into demons from the Moon Drip. So I figured that if humans weren't affected by it, then the only conclusion was that the villagers were not human."

"So, does this mean…" Palva questioned, putting the pieces together.

"That's right." Erza responded, reverting to her standard armor as she approached them, "It wasn't their forms that were affected by the noxious membrane, but their memories."

"Memories?" Lucy echoed. "Yes. They thought that they turned into demons upon nightfall."

Those who didn't figure it out before were starting to put the pieces together at last, as Leon said, "So that means these guys are really…"

"Yep, you got it." Erza answered, getting surprised looks from the team, "They were originally demons."

Natsu, Lucy, Palva and the cats all went into shock from this piece of information. "Unbelievable!" Leon gasped, looking to the villagers in bewilderment.

"S-Seriously?!" Gray asked, looking to the red male demon.

"Y-Yeah… Now that you mention it." he answered, "I'm still a little confused, though…"

"I always heard of demons in books, but I always heard of them being these all-powerful creatures like Deliora." Dori stated, folding her arms underneath her chest, "I never thought they would be normal people like this."

"They all have the power to transform into humans." Erza explained, "They thought that their transformed human forms were their original selves. That was the memory defect the Moon Drip caused."

"That explains why Lyon and his followers were still okay." Leon understood, "Since they're human, they wouldn't be affected like these demons would."

"Furthermore, they couldn't get near the ruins because they are demons." Erza followed up, "Beings of darkness could never come near ruins that stored sacred light."

"I'm impressed!" greeted a voice from behind, "I'm glad I left this in your hands. Mages, thank you!" Everyone turned and were startled at a somewhat familiar person. Despite being a demon, they recognized the cloak and face of the boatman who brought the team to the island, Bobo.

"GHOST!" Lucy, Happy and Pastry screamed. "The old boat guy!" Gray noticed. "The chieftain's son?!" Palva exclaimed. The villagers were all in shock, as well, though the one who was startled the most was the chief.

"B-But I thought you were…" one of the villagers started. "Being stabbed in the chest isn't enough to kill us!" Bobo answered the unfinished question, and even laughed about it.

"B-But you disappeared from the boat…" Gray pointed out. Bobo turned to them and grinned as he suddenly vanished before their eyes, shocking the mages until they heard him up above, and saw that he was in the air, thanks to demonic wings.

"Sorry I didn't tell you the truth then." Bobo apologized, "I was the only one who regained my memories, so I left this island. Since the villagers thought they were humans, they were scared of me."

The chieftain began to tear up as he saw his 'dead' son come back to life again. He then produced his own set of wings from his back, and flew up to his son, bawling out his name as he gave him a hug around the neck. "Finally got your sanity back, Gramps?!" Bobo asked with a grin.

Soon after, the other demon villagers produced their own wings as they celebrated Bobo's return. The mages on the ground watched them with grins on their faces, seeing the rowdiness of the demons in the sky.

"Yep, those guys really are demons." Pastry stated, hanging onto Leon's head.

"But…looking at all their faces…" Natsu started, seeing the lively, happy expressions they all had, and how they shined in the moonlight, "They look less like demons, and more like angels."

Looking back up at them, they could see Natsu had a point. Despite what the books said, or what they heard of, the demons here weren't so bad. Creatures of darkness, they may be, but they were full of life and joy, that it shined brighter than even the moon in the sky.

"We'll have a banquet tonight! A demon's banquet!" the chieftain declared, with everyone cheering in agreement.

"That sure sounds amazing." Lucy stated. "Might be a bit rowdy." Dori added.

"Now that I think about it, I'm starving!" Palva groaned. "Aye." Happy agreed.

* * *

Moment's later, tables were set up in the middle of the village, with carpeting to sit on, and an assortment of foods to try out. Everyone in the village joined in, and were excitedly chowing down and laughing together. The mages all sat together as well, while Natsu lit up a pair of torches on a stick, and started chowing down on the flames.

"Hey, why don't you try some?" Natsu asked Palva, holding out a spare torch.

"But I've never eaten flames before, like you do." she answered.

"Seriously?!" Natsu exclaimed, "How do you replenish your magic if you get hit by fire then?"

"I suck up the flames with my Dragonic Fang. It's connected to me, so it can absorb the flames and channel it to me."

"Wow! That's pretty neat!" the male Dragon Slayer exclaimed, "Still, you should try eating these. They taste great!"

Palva seemed a bit unsure, but decided to give it a shot. She took a lighted torch, looked at it for a while, then gobbled the flame into her mouth. To her, it felt extremely odd to actually eat a flame. She swirled it around her mouth before swallowing it.

"See?" Natsu said with a grin. "Yeah… It does taste pretty good." Palva stated, looking back at him, "I might get use to that."

"Come on! Let's snag some more flames and chow down!" Natsu declared, and she and Palva raced over to the one of the larger lit torches, grabbing more flames to eat.

"Those two seem to be hitting it off well." Leon stated, as he, Dori and Pastry watched them dip their sticks into the flames, and then sucked them into their mouths.

The trio then heard squealing, and they turned to see that Gray was getting a lot of attention from the girl demons, who were carrying him towards the dance floor.

"So Gray attracts those type of girls." Lucy pointed out, her, Erza and Happy sitting on the opposite side of Dori's group.

"Usually, it's Leon who seems to get the attention from the girls, what with his rippling muscles and his calm demeanor." Dori stated with a smug grin as she and Pastry looked at him. He refrained from saying anything, but instead took a drink of wine.

"I have to admit, I was wrong about humans." the chieftain stated, who sat next to the mages, "We all feel inferior because of our appearances, so we never intermingled with any other islands."

"That was why we spread the rumor that Galuna Island was cursed." Bobo explained.

"So that's why the people at the port were afraid of this island." Lucy realized, recalling to when they were trying to get a ride over to this island in the first place.

The chieftain chuckled as he continued, "But I think we'll be able to socialize more personally with the people from other lands. For a better mutual understanding."

The mages smiled as Erza stated, "If you try speaking with them in this manner, your outward appearance won't matter; you will come to an understanding." Lucy, Happy and the two demons all nodded in agreement. Dori and Leon looked at one another, smiling at their words. Pastry, on the other hand, looked down, slightly sad. To him, that wasn't a possible thing.

Palva and Natsu heard everything from a distance. The female Dragon Slayer swallowed her flame as she turned to Natsu and asked, "Hey, Natsu?" "Yeah, what is it?"

Palva paused before saying, "I was thinking…how amazing your guild is. After witnessing not only how strong you guys are, but how caring you guys are to others. All the guilds I've seen never had those kinds of qualities. That's why… That's why I'm thinking of joining. Me, my sister, Leon and Pastry. I wanna join Fairy Tail."

"Sounds great!" Natsu stated, thumping her back with an open palm and almost making her fall over, "You guys are totally strong! It would be great to have you guys join our guild. We can have fun, go on more missions like this, and do all sorts of things together!"

Palva massaged her back with her free hand as she added, "Plus, you did promise you would help me learn to control my flames. I need to know that, more than anything."

"Got it! When we get back to the guild, we'll make sure to work on that!" Natsu decided, "Plus, I wouldn't mind fighting you to see who's the better Dragon Slayer!" Palva smiled back at Natsu as she nodded in agreement. To be around him would be something of a blessing to her.

Just then, the party suddenly got quiet, and the two turned and saw why. Two of Lyon's followers, Yuka and Sherry, suddenly appeared in the village, facing the villagers and mages.

Gray, who was still flocked by girls, turned to face them. "Gray." the blue demon girl muttered in a worried manner.

"Leave them to us. Don't worry." the Ice-Make mage assured them. At the same time, Erza, Leon and Dori stood up, turning to them.

"What do you want?" Erza questioned the two intruders.

"Cold Emperor Lyon was beaten up so badly by you guys that he can't even move." Yuka started. "We have come to return the favor." Sherry followed him.

"Hold it right there!" Lucy responded, rising to her feet, "Didn't you hear? We and Lyon have already…"

"That doesn't matter to us." Yuka interrupted her. "We will settle things, once and for all." Sherry declared.

"Interesting! I'll take on whatever you've got!" Natsu declared, raising a hand full of flames.

"If you want a rematch, then why don't we get started!" Palva added, raising her lance at the ready and igniting the tip.

"Wait a minute!" Bobo called out, stopping the two, "We can't keep relying on you and more than we already have."

"Yeah, I agree." "We have to protect our own village!" the villagers added.

"I admire your dedication. However, leave this matter to me." Erza assured them, and she approached the two followers of Lyon.

"Titania from Fairy Tail?" Sherry greeted, "Your reputation is quite amazing." "I won't have any complaints with her as my opponent." Yuka stated with a grin.

"Be careful, Erza!" Lucy warned her, "That woman manipulates rocks and trees!"

"And the guy with the mega-brows neutralizes magic!" Natsu added.

"I see. Well, then, I just have to finish this up before they begin!" Erza charged forward at unleashed a spin kick into Sherry, sending her flying. She didn't waste any time before swinging her elbow at Yuka, hitting him in the face and knocking him backwards, as well.

Every one of the villagers were amazed at her feet of strength. "Awesome!" Palva gasped. "To think she didn't even need to use magic or weapons." Dori added.

"Well, she IS the Great Erza." Happy pointed out. "Stop being a suck-up." Pastry retorted.

"Still, don't you think they went down TOO easily?" Leon asked. The others looked to him, then back at the two opponents as they rose up.

"That is admirable." Sherry stated as she rose up. "As expected. We can't match up." Yuka added. Taking Leon's words into fact, the mages all realized something; they allowed themselves to be attacked on purpose. They didn't even intend to fight.

"I know this does not atone for our actions, but we wanted to make our position clear, at least." Yuka started.

"So that's what they meant by returning a favor." Happy understood.

"We heard from the Cold Emperor." Sherry followed up, "It is thanks to all of you that we are freed from our hatred of Deliora."

"I see. You guys were also Deliora's…" Gray started, realizing they were victims of the demon's wrath, too.

"Our towns were destroyed when we were kids." Yuka explained, "Even our family and friends were reduced to ashes."

"That's why we followed the Cold Emperor when he said he was going to defeat Deliora." Sherry admitted.

"But still, that doesn't justify involving innocent people in the process." Yuka said with a sad tone.

"We were so overwhelmed by our hatred for Deliora, that we ended up becoming just like it." Sherry admitted, "We had forgotten…love."

There was a moment of silence as they awaited for their punishment or words of scolding from the heroes. Instead, Natsu came from behind, grabbing them around the shoulders as she eagerly stated, "All righty then! You guys, come eat with us!"

"But we were your enemies just a moment ago!" Yuka exclaimed in alarm. "If I eat things with high calories, my weight will…"

"Don't complain! Let's have fun!" Natsu stopped her, hugging their necks tightly as if they were fellow comrades. Without a bit of hesitation, Natsu brought them over to one of the tables, and gave them drinks. "Okay! Now let's fire things up!"

"He's making friends with them, even though they were our enemy not so long ago?" Palva questioned in amazemet, "What kind of guy is he?"

"A one-of-a-kind person, that's for sure." Dori chuckled, "Come on. Let's go join them."

The villagers were bewildered at first, but they decided to allow them to join in on the festivities. The other Fairy Tail mages were already use to Natsu's way of thinking, so they didn't complain. Leon and Pastry pretty much reacted the same way as the villagers, and decided to let the past slide for the night. Everything quickly rebooted back to the way it was, enjoying the evening with friends and former enemies.

* * *

Much later on, when no one was looking, Sherry and Yuka walked through the front gate, with Sherry groaning as she rubbed her belly.

"I can't believe how much they made me eat." she moaned, "I know it was an act of love, but I'll have to work out all of these calories I've eaten."

"Still, I can't believe that guild." Yuka added, turning back to the village party, "They eagerly invited us like that, despite everything that happened. How can a guild that strong can act so strangely?"

"They just have that kind of heart, that's all." said a voice, and the two turned to see Leon leaning back on the side of the gate, still drinking more wine. It was clear he had a few, since his cheeks were a bit rosy.

"You dinin' and dashin'?" he asked them. "We must go back to the Cold Emperor to tell him of what happened." Yuka stated, "Please don't try to stop us."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we're on good terms, so I won't." Leon assured them, "Even so, if I hear any tales of you two causing trouble to other places, don't expect mercy from me, you got it?"

Sherry and Yuka watched as he sat up and started to walk away before Sherry asked, "I don't seem to see any guild marks on you or some of your fellow mages. Might I ask why you came to this island in the first place?"

Leon looked back in with a slightly drunk expression before he answered, "Trying to find answers. And I think one of us may have found one." With that, he went back to the party, leaving the other two to watch him leave, before departing back to where Lyon and Toby were.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was up and awake once more. All their luggage was packed and ready to go. Although, Dori, Leon and the others were quite shocked at the large wagon full of luggage Erza brought, and questioned why she needed that much.

Natsu was cross-legged on the ground, still eating more flames as he looked around and noticed a couple that were missing. "Where's eyebrows and love-girl?" Natsu asked.

"They couldn't eat any more, so they left last night." Happy answered.

Meanwhile, Lucy was crouched on her hands and knees, examining a scar on Gray's forehead. Her position did give way to her cleavage, but Gray was trying hard not to pay attention to it.

"Looks like you'll be left with a scar." Lucy stated, examining the cut.

"It doesn't really matter." Gray assured her. "But it's on your face!" Lucy pointed out.

"It doesn't really matter where I'm scarred." Gray said in a cool manner, "As long as it's on the surface."

"Well, aren't you a smooth-talker." Lucy sassed with a wink.

Natsu, meanwhile, found his words totally stupid as he asked, "So you have invisible wounds?"

"Just shut up!" Gray barked, "I just said something cool, so drop it!" "How was that cool?" Natsu questioned him.

Over in the distance of their sight, Palva gathered Dori, Leon and Pastry together to announce what she decided after talking to Natsu.

"You really want to join the guild?" Dori asked her sister in a surprised manner. Palva nodded in response.

"This is quite a surprising turn of events." Leon stated, "Never thought I hear you would say something like that."

"I dunno. I'm all for joining this guild." Pastry stated, "After all, they do seem like compassionate people, and they are definitely people I wouldn't get tired of."

Palva looked to Dori, who still seemed surprised at all of this, and also a bit concerned. "Do you not want to be a part of this guild?" she asked her older sister.

"It's not that." Dori answered, "Actually, I would be glad to join the guild. It's just that I didn't expect it at all. You are not just doing this just because Natsu's part of Fairy Tail, right? I mean, all the other guilds that we've seen tried to…"

"I know that." Palva interrupted her, not wanting her to finish that sentence, "I won't deny that Natsu being part of the guild is part of the reason. But there's more to it than that…" She looked to see Natsu and Gray starting to argue with one another, while Happy and Lucy watched from the sidelines.

"It's just something inside of me, but it's telling me great things will happen if I'm with them." Palva explained, "I can't say for sure what it is, but it's a gut feeling."

Leon and Dori both looked at the mages, wondering. "Yeah…for some reason, I feel the same thing." Leon agreed.

"I can't deny they are a rather rowdy, yet enjoyable group to be around." Dori seconded, looking to Palva, "If you want to join them, then I'm all for joining them, as well." Palva nodded in gratefulness, glad to see a unanimous vote for joining them.

"W-What? You won't accept the reward?" the chieftain's voice said in surprise. They looked to see Erza speaking to the chieftain, Bobo and the villagers about the request.

"Yeah. Your gratitude is enough." Erza assured him, "This matter was not officially accepted by the guild. It was a job that a few idiots impertinently accomplished."

The chieftain chuckled that he couldn't deny her claim, then added, "Even so, that doesn't change the fact that you saved us. If I say that this is not a reward for the guild, but a friendly gesture, would you accept it then?"

Natsu and Gray stopped fighting as the mages all turned to Erza, wondering if she would accept the reward under such terms. She smiled as she said, "It's hard to decline when you put it that way."

The villagers did seem glad she would accept it that way, though the trio of guild mages behind her were even more excited, considering the reward was seven million jewels. Leon wondered if they would get a cut of the reward for helping them.

"However, accepting that would be against the guild's principles." Erza followed up, surprising the villagers, "We will be happy to accept only the Gate Key as a bonus reward instead."

"WE DON'T WANT THAT!" Natsu and Gray argued. "COME TO MAMA!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Well then, I'll send you back to Hargeon." Bobo requested.

"No. I have a ship prepared." Erza answered, confusing the two. "Did she just say ship?" Palva asked, already looking a bit sick at the thought of it.

* * *

What Erza had prepared was not what the team expected. Oh, it was a big enough ship, all right. In fact, it was a… "A pirate ship?!" Gray gasped.

"You actually hijacked this pirate ship?" Leon questioned her.

"As expected of the Great Erza!" Happy suckered up. "I…can't deny that." Pastry agreed.

"Ahoy, me beauty!" the pirate captain roared as the ship's crew eagerly cheered for her return.

"Me…beauty?" Lucy questioned, looking at Erza with a disbelieved expression.

"It seems like they favor me." Erza pointed out.

"Well, you do have looks, that's for sure." Dori stated, looking at the scarlet swordswoman. Palva also looked, specifically at the chest area, and wondered suspiciously if the armor was exaggerating her measurement there, or not.

"All ye mateys come aboard, too!" the pirate captain called out to the mages.

"Mateys?" Leon and Gray echoed. "No way! I don't want to board that!" Lucy cried.

"I'll join you if you're swimming." Natsu suggested. "I'll join you guys, too." Palva added.

"ARE YOU TWO INSANE?!" Lucy asked angrily. The two Dragon Slayers both looked at one another, with Natsu giving a big grin to her, and Palva giving a slight smirk back. They did become great friends since meeting one another.

Erza and Dori forced the two Dragon Slayers to get onto the boat, and they set sail. Instantly, Natsu and Palva became extremely sick, and they collapsed.

"Everyone! Thank you so much!" Bobo called to them.

"Be well!" Lucy called back. "Try not to forget yourselves again!" Pastry added.

The villagers kept calling out to them, many of them asking for them to come back someday, while others stated how great Fairy Tail was.

As the view of the island became far off, Erza looked to Dori and asked, "So I heard you guys are interested in joining our guild, is that right?"

"It is." the Crystal mage answered, "It was my sister's idea, but we support the idea as well. I just hope you don't mind, considering we joined Natsu and the others for an illegal request."

"I don't see any problem with that." Erza assured her, "Your group made the job much easier. You all are strong and wise, so I can't see any reason to deny your joining in the guild."

Erza then looked to Leon, who looked at her for a few seconds, then turned away as he stated, "If your wondering if I harbor any anger to you anymore, then be glad that I don't. I can see you aren't the person I should be angry at. Even so, I am still irritable at how overly rule-abiding you are."

Erza seemed confused at this, until Dori asked, "Do you think Erza's somehow connected to your memory loss?" Leon shrugged at this.

"Memory loss?" Erza echoed. "Yeah, we gotta explain ourselves to you, at least as much as we told Natsu and the others." Dori told her, and she began to speak about where they came from and about who they were, as the ship sailed towards the sunrise.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the Magic Council building in Era, a young, blue-haired man by the name of Siegrain sat in a chair, with his back towards the door. Standing at the open door was the woman whom Dori saw as the disguised man named Zalty. This raven-haired woman's real name was named Ultear.

"What happened to Deliora was such a shame." Ultear started.

"Well, it can't be helped." Seigrain responded casually, closing a book and magically sending it back to where it came from, "I never thought that it would be already dead. I thought that I'd be a step closer to my dreams if I had gotten my hands on Deliora."

"Please forgive me, Seigrain, sir." Ultear apologized, walking further into the room, "I hadn't expected that woman to have such magical power."

"You shouldn't be saying that. Tears of Ur… Ultear." the blue-haired young man addressed the woman behind him, "I respect your mother. If she were alive, she would have become one of the 10 Mage Saints."

"You're overestimating her." Ultear responded, looking to one side, "My mother was just a miserable fallen woman who was abandoned by my father."

"The greater your loss, the greater the power you could obtain." Seigrain quoted.

"I was insignificant to my mother." she scoffed.

"I wonder about that." Seigrain sighed, "Raising those young students was her lingering attachment to you-."

Ultear interrupted him by placing a finger on his mouth as she stated, "That's the end of that topic. More importantly, let us proceed to the next phase."

Just then, Seigrain noticed a large bump swelling on the side of Ultear's face, and said, "Hey, your face…"

Ultear felt the pain of the bump, and screamed from it. "WHAT IS THIS?!" she exclaimed.

Seigrain laughed as he stated, "Talk about a delayed reaction!" As Ultear calmed down, grasping the place she got hit before, he asked, "Come to think of it, what were your impressions on your fight with Natsu?"

"I wasn't even using half of my power, but this did not come from him." Ultear scoffed, "It was from another girl, who has much more power than him at this point. There was also another girl there who also possesses the same magic as him."

"Really?" Seigrain asked, intrigued by these two new 'players' added into his game, "Mind telling me who they were?"

"I have never seen either one of them before." Ultear answered, "However, I can tell you they might pose just as much of a threat as Salamander. Quite possibly even more so. But there's no denying the kid will get stronger, as well."

"I hope so, too." Seigrain stated, "After all, he is the son of Igneel. He should just keep on burning, for the sake of my dream."

He then turned away as he added, "As for these newcomers, I want to know who they are and where they come from. If they are a hinderance to my plans, then we must get rid of them before they become a problem."

"As you wish, Seigrain, sir." Ultear answered, rubbing her swelling with one hand as she produced three crystal orbs. They floated in front of her, revealing images of Dori, Palva and Leon's face.

* * *

It was about a day's journey back, but the Fairy Tail mages, along with the soon-to-be ones, had made it back to Magnolia, the town where the magic guild resides in.

"We're back!" Natsu cheered, as the team wandered through the streets towards the guild hall.

"So this is what your town looks like, huh?" Palva asked, looking about, "It's very pretty…"

"Still, after all that hard work, we're only rewarded with some Gate Key, huh?" Gray sighed. "And it was an S-class request, too." Happy added.

"Hey, at least you got to experience an S-class quest yourselves. And we were able to meet you guys." Dori retorted, "Besides, didn't you guys take the request illegially?"

"That's right. It wasn't an official job." Erza echoed, "Just be glad you got something."

"Yeah, yeah! No complaints!" Lucy seconded that remark happily.

"You're the only one who profited from it, Lucy." Happy retorted, "Let's sell it!"

"How could you say such a thing, you cat burglar?!" Lucy exclaimed, "I've said this before, but there are only twelve gold Zodiac Keys in the entire world! I'm lucky enough to have five."

"Yeah, but they all have…rather unique personalities, don't you think?" Pastry pointed out. "Yeah, like that cow and maid?" Natsu gave examples.

"You had better watch your mouth!" Lucy barked, "As I train more, my Celestial Spirits will get even stronger than you!"

"So? Which key did you get this time?" Gray asked her. "The Centaur, Sagittarius!" Lucy answered.

"It's a horse-man?!" Gray questioned, picturing a human with a horse face.

"No, it's more like this." Lucy answered, picturing an actual centaur that fired an arrow at Gray's vision.

Natsu pictured a sunflower face with tentacles, making Dori ask, "What the heck is that? It's no where near a centaur!"

"You all seem carefree…" Erza noticed, coming to a halt in front of them, "Don't tell me you've forgotten your punishment upon our return?" Based on the expressions of the trio of Fairy Tail mages, they did forget about that detail.

"Hey, just a minute! Wasn't that dropped already?!" Lucy questioned in a whimper.

"Don't say such foolish things." Erza answered, "Accepting your actions was merely my decision. Your punishment remains valid and must be enforced." "No way!" Lucy whined.

"If you promise never to do this again, I guess I can mostly forgive you, and not be penalized by the guild." Erza continued, "However, the final decision rests on the Master. And I have no intention of pleading for you. As things stand, be prepared to be punished."

The trio looked pretty scared at this point, then Happy added, "Don't tell me he's going to make us do THAT…" Natsu and Gray both became downright terrified after realizing what he meant by 'that'.

"JUST KILL ME NOW!" Gray cried, crouching as he recalled the horrible memories, "I DON'T THINK I WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN!"

"What is 'that'?!" Lucy demanded in shock, scared to see even Gray become terrified at this.

"Hold on! Does this mean WE have to be punished, too?!" Pastry questioned Erza fearfully. Even Palva looked a bit scared at this.

"No. Considering the four of you aren't guild mages yet, I see no reason to punish you." Both Pastry and Palva sighed in relief. Though Lucy was still a bundle of nerves at the thought of the unspeakable punishment.

"Chill out, Lucy." Natsu told her, "I'll talk to Gramps about not punishing us. Knowing him, he'll praise us for doing a good job."

"You're extremely positive about this…" Lucy muttered, finding his statement unbelievable.

"No, THAT has probably been decided already." Erza told Natsu, "There's no way for you to talk out of it. I'm really itching for it."

Lucy watched Natsu's grinning expression as his face started to sweat, then it poured harder and harder, until he went into all-out panic mode and screamed more mercy, while Erza dragged him along by his scarf.

"Like I said, what the hell is that?!" Lucy begged. With no answer from the other, and with even Leon and Dori nervously wondering what 'that' was, they all followed Erza and Natsu. Leon decided to take Erza's large cart full of luggage instead, since she had her hands full.

As they neared the guild hall, the citizens of Magnolia seem to recognize the Fairy Tail mages, and began whispering and murmuring to one another in fright. The mages all noticed this and became concerned. Palva nervously hid herself behind Dori, wondering if they were talking about her, while Dori and Leon became cautious.

"We're attracting an unusual amount of attention here." Gray noticed.

"Somehow, I got a bad feeling about this." Happy added.

Palva cupped a hand around her ear, listening carefully, then said, "They're saying something about the guild hall."

Erza looked to her, then they all looked ahead at a tall building off in the distance, and stopped in surprise. From the non-guild mages's point of view, the building looked like it had spires poking out from all about it.

"What this? Something happened to the guild!" Erza noticed. The crew became startled as they raced for a closer look at the guild hall.

Moments later, they all stood there, in horror, as what they saw wasn't spires, but over a dozen giant metal rods impaling the guild hall, damaging it heavily.

"OUR GUILD!" Natsu growled, his body tensed up in anger, "Who…?!"

"What happened here?!" Erza demanded.

Lucy, Gray and Happy were all in shock at the sight of their damaged guild hall. Lyon, Dori and Pastry were also surprised to see the guild they were gonna join in such a wreck. Palva gritted her teeth, and gripped her lance tightly, wondering angrily why this had to happen upon her deciding to join, and who was responsible.

"It was Phantom…" a voice spoke up from behind, and they turned to see someone standing there. She was beautiful, with a breath-taking figure, blue eyes, and white flowing hair with her hair around her forehead tied up. She wore a simple red and pink-frilled dress, with a pink ribbon on her chest, red high-heels, and a blue-colored gem necklace.

"What did you say?" Gray questioned her. Natsu looked angrily at the woman and asked, "So it was Phantom?"

"I hate to admit it, but they got us…" the young woman muttered despairingly.

As Dori and Palva looked at her, wondering who she was, Palva gasped in surprise at the sight of her. _It…it can't be…!_ he thought to himself, _That's…Mirajane!_

Leon took one look at her for a few seconds, then his pupils shrunk. Sharp pain struck his head like a dozen needles, and he fell to his knees, gasping in pain. Everyone looked to him, horrified at the sight of his agony.

"What's going on?!" Lucy demanded in a worried manner.

"Leon, snap out of it!" Dori cried to him, grasping his shoulder. Leon didn't answer, but instead let out a howl of pain, while the young lady looked shocked at the newcomer's sudden reaction. Pastry watched him as well, worried about his condition and, more importantly, what is might cause.

* * *

 **Another chapter completed. Personally, I decided on some minor changes from the anime/manga, such as Dori taking more credit into comprehending the 'curse' of Galuna Island, to Leon seeing Yuka and Sherry off before they left the party. But now, the four OC characters finally decide to join the guild!  
**

 **I did think about giving Palva and Pastry a moment to shine in destroying the membrane covering the island, but then I figured that it would be best if they didn't hog all the amazing feats the Fairy Tail mages did, so instead, I gave it an honorable mention by Dori as they witnessed Erza and Natsu do the work. Also, for those of you who are concerned about the relationship between Natsu and Palva, don't worry about it; it's more of a brother-sister relationship, and nothing more.**

 **And if you noticed, I decided to go with the manga form, and skip over the fillers they had in the anime, and go straight into the Phantom Lord arc. Believe me, you will be facing a lot of great battles, plus plenty of surprises and deeper stories involving the OC characters. And one has already started with Leon at the end here. What caused his head to become filled with pain? Is Mirajane really the reason behind it? Find out next time!**

 **I always love reviews on my work, so please leave one for me. The longer and more detailed, the better.**


	6. Joining Fairies for War

PREVIOUSLY ON FAIRY TAIL:

Natsu and Palva were able to stop a punch from the newly revived Deliora, only to discover that it was already dead thanks to the energy drain of the Iced Shell. However, Deliora was not the cause of the curse on the villagers, but the Moon Drip ceremony creating a noxious membrane that covered the sky above the island. Natsu and Erza combined their powers together to destroy the membrane, revealing the villagers to be really demons all along. They all celebrated the islander's sanity, that night, with Palva deciding to join Fairy Tail, along with her sister, Leon and Pastry.

Erza declined the reward the villagers offered her due to it being an unofficial request from their guild, but did decide to take the Gate Key for Lucy. Soon after, they returned to Magnolia, home town of Fairy Tail, where Erza warned the already Fairy Tail mages of the punishment that awaited them. Instead, they discovered that the guild had been attacked while they were gone, and Leon suddenly gets a splitting headache after seeing one of the Fairy Tail mages, Mirajane Strauss.

* * *

"GAAAAAH!" Leon screamed, clutching his head in agony. The surrounding group was in shock at the blue-haired man's sudden outburst.

"Leon! Get ahold of yourself!" Dori barked, shaking him vigorously, her expression displaying how worried she was of him.

"What's going on?!" Lucy questioned, "Why is he like this?!"

"I don't know. I've never seen him have such a massive attack like this before." Palva answered, looking fearfully.

"He's had something like this before?" Erza asked the female Dragon Slayer, who turned and nodded. Gray, Natsu, the white-haired woman and the cats all looked shocked or concerned at Leon's reaction.

Finally, after a few moments, Leon calmed himself down, panting heavily as he was on his hands and knees. Beads of sweat poured from his forehead as he tried to get his head back into reality again. As he did so, he noticed something else; something just popped back into his head. He remembered seeing a white-haired girl once before, exactly like the one he saw before him, along with someone else. His memory was hazy, but he could still see someone else with white hair, too. But who? Who was it? Was it the name that came to his mind the moment he started to get back to normal?

"Are you okay, Leon?" Dori asked, drawing his attention. "Y-Yeah…I'm okay." he answered, trying to get back to his feet again.

"What happened there, buddy?" Natsu asked him. "Looked like you got a major headache there." Gray added.

"More like someone clashed cymbals between my brain." Leon compared, rubbing head head, "Damn, my head still aches!"

"Are you sure you're okay?" the white-haired woman asked, approaching him.

Leon looked back at her, seeing her worried expression. Out of instinct, he gave her a reassuring smile as he answered, "Don't worry about a thing, Mira. I'm okay." The young woman he called Mira seemed a bit relieved, though crestfallen from the guild damaged behind them.

"Hold on…" Lucy realized something, "How do you know Mirajane?"

"She's seen on the swimsuit modeling in the Sorcerer's Weekly, of course." Gray pointed out, "It's not like she's not well known."

Dori suddenly caught onto what Lucy figured out as she retorted, "But we don't get Sorcerer's Weekly in the western continent. We have no idea of any of the people who live in Fiore." She turned to Leon as she questioned, "So how do you know this girl, Leon?"

"I…dunno." he answered, looking to Mirajane again, "I just suddenly looked at her, and knew who she was." The young lady was surprised at his statement, after hearing what facts she heard from Dori.

"Maybe someone's found some pictures of her and kept a secret book of them!" Happy suggested in a sleezy, snickering manner. "Shut up! I ain't like that!" Leon barked at the cat.

"If you hadn't noticed, we have more pressing matters on hand." Erza interrupted them, "Mainly, the condition of the guild hall. I have to speak with the master about what has transpired while we were gone." With an objective to deal with, the mages all entered into the destroyed guild.

* * *

They followed Mirajane as they descended into the guild's basement, where the rest of the guild was at, recuperating from the trauma of their guild hall. Some were drinking, others were discussing with one another about what happened, and some just remained in silence. Though they did notice the arriving mages as they came down to join them.

"Hey look, Erza's back!" one of the mages pointed out. "And Natsu and Gray are with her." another added. "Who're the extra guys with them?" one of them questioned.

Palva seemed a bit scared as she hid herself behind her sister once more. "You okay?" Dori asked. Palva nodded, but looked down, still scared. Both sisters knew why she was like this, as their past would tell you why.

"Did you see what happened to the guild?!" asked a tribal-looking man.

"We've always been on bad terms with Phantom." a guy with a tall cap pointed out.

"Damn Phantom!" barked a black haired man sitting with him, "How dare they do this to our guild!" "Please stop it." a blue-haired, petite girl told him, also sitting at the table, "We are dealing with the Phantom Lord guild here…"

Erza and Mirajane led the team over to what looked like a board full of requests. Sitting on a tablecloth-covered crate was a very short old man, wearing an orange and blue-striped jester-like hat, an orange hoodie over a white shirt with the Fairy Tail emblem, orange pants and brown shoes. He also had a keg in one hand, and he clearly looked like he was drinking a lot.

"Yo! Welcome home!" he greeted the group before him as Mirajane stepped right next to him.

"We're back." Erza greeted solemnly. "Old man! This isn't Happy Hour, is it?!" Natsu barked angrily.

"Is he the master of the guild?" Pastry asked Happy, getting an 'Aye' in answer.

"Ooh, right you are." the master answered, then he became angry as he looked to the four in question and barked, "How dare you go on an S-class quest without permission! I'll give you your punishment now! Prepare yourselves!"

Gray and Lucy thought this was the last thing that should be discussed at this time. "IT'S NOT THE TIME FOR THAT NOW!" Natsu roared angrily at the old man.

The old man didn't care, as his arm suddenly stretched out like it was rubber, and chopped Natsu's head with his hand, shouting, "Bad!" Happy and Gray were treated in the same manner, but Lucy was the only acception, and ended up with a perverted slap to her butt. "Behave yourself, Master!" Mirajane scolded him.

"You sure this is the right guild for you?" Dori questioned, disturbed by Lucy's punishment, "If the guild master is like that, I might have my doubts."

"Master! Do you understand our current situation?!" Erza questioned the master. "They wrecked our guild hall!" Natsu angrily pointed out.

"Calm down. It's not something to make a fuss about." the master sighed, taking a drink while the Fairy Tail mages looked surprised at this statement, "Phantom Lord, huh? Is this all those witless losers are capable of? Attacking a Guild when nobody is in there? Who would take pleasure from that?"

"Nobody was here?" Erza echoed. "It was after everyone left for the night." Mirajane explained.

Leon looked to throughout the guild hall basement, seeing that everyone there did not look like they've been attacked. So at least there was one thing that the team could be grateful for.

"There's no need to get cross with someone that resorts to surprise attacks." the master stated with a wave of his hands, "Leave them be."

Natsu hammered a crate next to him, breaking the wood with his fist as he roared, "Ain't gonna happen, Gramps! I won't feel right until I smash them down!"

Palva was shocked at Natsu's sudden outburst. Never had he ever seen someone talk about vengeance and dedication like he showed.

"This discussion is over!" the master ordered, "Until the main floor is repaired, we'll be taking requests from here."

"This isn't the time to talk about jobs!" Natsu barked back at him.

"Natsu! That's enough out of you!" barked, and with a stretched arm, he reached out and, for some reason, slapped Lucy's rear end again.

"Why am I the one getting spanked?!" Lucy questioned in embarrassment. "Master, don't push me…" Mirajane huffed with a glare. The master retracted his hand with a laugh, leapt off the crate, and took off saying something about taking a leak.

"Why are you okay with this, gramps?" Natsu questioned his actions.

"Natsu…" Mirajane spoke up, "This is also a hard time for Master. But open assaults between Guilds are prohibited by the Council."

"But they are the ones who started it all!" Natsu argued, throwing a tantrum.

"That's beside the issue." the white-haired woman retorted.

"If this is how Master feels about it, the have to accept it." Erza told the group. The group did seem frustrated at this, especially Natsu, but she did have a point. Conflict would only cause even more conflict. Getting frustrated right now wouldn't help things at all.

Mirajane turned to the four non-guild members and said, "I'm sorry the four of you had to arrive in such a scene. I never even got to know why you even came?"

"We were planning on joining your guild." Dori explained, "But if this is an inconvenient time, we can try again…"

"Oh, no. I'm sure we'll be able to enroll you into your guild." Mirajane answered her with an attempted smile, "If you are able to cheer us up in any way, then we'll be more than glad to have you."

"Even so, joining right now would feel like joining out of sympathy." Leon pointed out, "Let us at least help out before joining you guys. We could even get those iron pillars out of the way for you guys."

"You don't have to do that. We can manage to get them out ourselves." Mirajane assured him.

"Really, I want to help." Leon answered, turning to his companions, "Let's give them a hand pulling those out." The Himeka siblings nodded in response, and they walked back up the stairs, with everyone in the guild hearing and wondering what they were gonna do.

* * *

A few minutes later, Palva and Dori found themselves on different floors of the guild hall, prepping themselves for what they had to do. Natsu was with Palva, while Gray was with Dori.

Outside, Leon was standing in the open street, with Erza standing next to him as well. The rest of the Fairy Tail guild decided to join the two outside to see what they were planning, in case the newcomers were planning to cause more damage to their guild hall.

"Do you have a plan?" Erza asked Leon.

"Of course." he answered, "But first, do you have any armors that give you an all-around physical strength boost?"

"The closest I have to that would be my Giant Armor." Erza answered, "But it is more designed to increase my throwing power."

"Then I guess I'll just handle this myself." Leon answered, and his body glowed as he began to Requip. His arms and hands suddenly glowed to reveal new gauntlets, which were golden, with blue ribbons at the wrists. His boots suddenly glowed to be replaced with greaves of the same golden metal, with bands at the ankles, and bronze trimming at the feet. His head glowed as a blue headband with a yellow jewel embedded onto it appeared.

He glared at the guild hall as he shouted, "Okay, ready when you girls are!"

"I'll start off first!" Palva shouted, crouching down as she prepared to pounce towards a metal pillar. She then took one dashing leap forward, igniting her foot in flames as she shouted, " **Fire Dragon's Talon!** ", unleashing a roundhouse kick. The pillar dislodged itself cleanly from the guild hall, heading towards where Leon and Erza stood. Everyone was in shock at how it came out easily, and feared for Leon and the town's safety. However, Leon raised his gauntlets up, and caught the beam as easily as if it was made of paper. Despite the shockwave that ensued from the collision, Leon barely skidded back on the ground before he gripped the pillar tightly, and carefully placed it to one side. This display of strength shocked everyone in the vicinity beyond words. Even Erza was shocked and impressed.

"Next!" Leon roared, and Dori responded as she produced a Crystal Wall directly in front of the pillar she was aiming at. She then made a dash to the wall, and slammed her palm into it, shouting, " **Crystal Launcher!** ", producing a sheet of crystal from the wall she made to hit the pillar as well, dislodging it out of the guild hall. Like before, Leon easily caught it, and placed it next to the first one.

The team did this for every pillar they came across in the guild hall. The sisters would dislodge them with their physical strengths and magic, while Leon caught them and placed them down, out of harms way. The Fairy Tail mages were just surprised at this impressive work they were doing, wondering where in the world Erza and the others found them. It took maybe twenty minutes before they cleared the guild hall of all pillars, and had them stacked along the sides.

"That's the last of them." Palva sighed in relief. "Alright!" Natsu cheered, beaming with appreciation.

"Thanks for taking care of that for us." Gray thanked Dori. "Sure. Anything for the guild we'll be joining." the Crystal mage answered.

The Fairy Tail mages were cheering in gratitude as Leon sighed in relief, readjusting his gauntlets to make sure no damage was done to them.

"That was very impressive." Erza told him, "I didn't think there was armor pieces like those that can enhance your strength that well."

"These armor pieces are actually part of a set call the Herculean God Armor, which is said to be one of the most powerful armors in all of Earthland." Leon explained, "I've been searching for all the pieces for the past two years, and so far I've found the gauntlets, the greaves and the headpiece to it. All is left is the chest armor, the leggings, the cape, and the sword made specifically for it. But they say the one who has the full might of the armor can have the strength and endurance of five hundred thousand trained soldiers."

"That's amazing! I've never heard of such an amazing armor before." Erza said.

"Leon may not look it, but he has a thing for magical armors and armor pieces out there." Pastry pointed out, flying towards them with Happy, "He's even a skilled blacksmith, too. So any weapon or armor that gets damaged, he can fix."

Just then, the master of the guild, which they learned his name was Makarov, approached Leon and Erza. "I appreciate all your help in getting rid of those darn things that damaged our guild hall." he told him.

"It was no biggie." Leon answered, seeing Palva, Dori, Natsu and Gray come out of the guild hall to join them, "We couldn't join this guild in good conscience if it looked that beaten up."

"Now that we removed those oversized iron splinters, would it be okay for us to join the guild?" Palva asked.

Makarov still looked like he had a bit of drink in him as he asked, "So you want to join Fairy Tail, is that right?"

"Yes." the female Dragon Slayer answered simply, with Leon, Pastry and Dori surrounding her.

There was a moment's pause, then Makarov grinned as he answered, "I would be more than happy to have you join our family. Welcome to Fairy Tail!" The four looked happy to hear this from the master as they looked to one another. The rest of the guild also looked happy and eager to have the four of them join the guild, bringing in the strength they possessed. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy and Erza were especially glad to have their new friends join the guild.

* * *

Once they were inside, the Fairy Tail mages began repairing the guild, under Erza's leadership. Mirajane confronted the four mages as she had a resume for the four of them. Most of it was normal, such as age, where they are from and such. There was an added piece made by Makarov to ask for girls' measurements, but Mirajane threw it away.

"Now I assume you possess the same magic as Happy, is that right?" Mirajane asked Pastry.

"You got it, Mrs. Mirajane." the ginger cat answered, "I bet I'm stronger than him, too."

"Now, what kind of magic do the rest of you possess?" Mirajane asked.

"I possess Requip magic, just like Erza." Leon started, "I can't Requip as fast as her, or have the ability to Requip all of my armor at once, but I can still improve if I train. Oh, and I am capable of repairing magic weapons and armor."

Dori came up next as she explained, "I'm use Crystal magic, so I specialize in both offense and defensive magic. I do have the ability to absorb lacrima into my body and use it whenever I have a need for it. Also…" She pulled out her crossbow from her leg as she added, "…I possess this crossbow, the Haridan. Leon made it for me."

Palva was last up, but looked a bit worried in wanting to explain her magic. Finally, she started, "I…I specialize in Fire magic. I'm just like Natsu, and use Fire Dragon Slayer magic."

Mirajane looked surprised at this, and it drew the attention of some of the other guild members who heard it. For a moment, nobody said a word, and it made Palva seem a bit antsy.

"No way!" gasped a green-haired woman. "That girl's a Fire Dragon Slayer?" asked a smoker with a pompadour. "I never heard Natsu say there was a second one like him!" an old man with dark blue hair grumbled.

"It's true. I've seen her magic, and it is like Natsu's." Erza approached Mirajane, making her voice audible for everyone to hear, "Though, apart from their magic and their hair color, they are different from one another." Some of the guild mages looked relieved to hear that, with some more so than others.

"Is Natsu really that troublesome to them?" Dori asked Mirajane, seeing their reactions. "He just gets carried away and usually is the one who starts a fight around here."

It was as if her words cued an example, as there was a crash, coming from something that fell through the hole. That something was Natsu and Gray, brawling it out, with Gray already disrobing himself down to his underwear.

"You're the one who swung that plank wood at me!" Gray argued. "If you didn't get in my way, I wouldn't hit your oversized head!" Natsu retorted.

"You're the one who's head's full of smoke, ya pyro!" "Come at me, you ice stripper!" They continued the fight, throwing fists, feet and insults at one another with fury.

"Unbelievable…" Erza growled with frustration, "I'll take care of them before they destroy the Guild."

She began walking towards them, but Dori placed a hand up in front of her. "Let me handle this." she told her, and she slammed her foot on the ground. She unleashed a Crystal Launcher underneath the brawling boys, sending them rocketing into the ceiling head-first, then watched them fall back to the ground, dazed and barely conscious.

"This guild hall is already damaged enough." Dori scolded them, "If you want to argue, take it outside. Otherwise, I'll crystalize your entire body for the rest of the day! Are we clear?" "A-Aye…" moaned the two boys.

"Oh my goodness." Mirajane chuckled. "She acts so much like a mother, whether it's caring for someone or punishing them." Pastry stated.

Once that was done, all four of them were finally given their Fairy Tail guild marks. Palva decided to have a red one on the opposite shoulder from Natsu's emblem. Dori chose to have a magenta one on her left thigh. Leon chose for a white one on his chest, directly over his heart. Pastry's was on his back, and it was yellow. With their final touches, the four of them were now official guild mages.

Until the sun faded away, the four of them decided to help out in the repairing a bit, all the while meeting the guild members. Dori stayed with Palva as they were introduced to a young lady named Cana, who they could tell was a heavy drinker, especially when she started to down a barrel of booze while working.

Leon was introduced to Elfman, a muscular figure within the guild, and was also Mirajane's younger brother. When Leon was introduced to him, he did get a bit of a headache, and swore afterwards that he felt he knew him from somewhere. However, just like Mirajane, he had no clue where or when he met him.

As for Pastry, he spent his time being guided by Happy as he introduced him to some of the guild members, from the lady heartthrob Loke, to the gun wielders Bisca and Alzack, to the two more older members Macao and Wakaba, and also the members of Team Shadowgear; Jet, Troy and Levy. All in all, the group had a good time meeting the members of Fairy Tail, getting to know each and every one of them.

* * *

When night fell, everyone went to their respective homes. Of course, the four newly-branded Fairy Tail mages didn't have a home just yet, so they had to find a place to stay.

"Mirajane promised to set up a room for Palva and I in Fairy Hills once the guild is back to normal." Dori told Leon and Palva after everyone left.

"What's Fairy Hill?" Leon asked. "It's pretty much a girl's dorm for Fairy Tail mages." Palva stated, "It sounds nice, but still…"

"I know." Dori understood sadly. They all knew Palva hated to sleep inside buildings, considering she would accidentally burn it down if she got separated by her lance while sleeping.

"Still, once that Natsu guy helps you control your powers, you should be good enough to sleep in that place." Pastry assured the female Dragon Slayer, who nodded sadly in response.

"Still, they did warn us that Phantom could still be around here, so they asked us all to at least stay with someone from the guild until this clears up." Pastry recalled.

"Let's go for a patrol around the city in case those guys who attacked Fairy Tail come back again." Dori told Palva, "It might clear your mind until we go to sleep." "Okay…" Palva answered.

"We'll go for a patrol, too." Leon told the two girls, "I asked Elfman and Mirajane if I could stay at their place for the night."

"Why do you want to do that?" Palva asked.

"Because since coming here, those two have been the only ones that I somehow know." Leon explained, "They might give me a clue to my past."

"I see…" Dori understood, "Well, I hope you figure something out." "I hope that, too." Leon agreed. Pastry looked to Leon, then down at his feet, a look of sadness crossing his eyes for a moment. He did actually know the two, although in a way that was way too hard to explain to the others. Nevertheless, they said their goodnights to one another, and parted ways.

As they left, Palva took one last look at the guild hall, seeing the repairs coming along slowly and steadily, but still looked a bit ransacked. She had a mixture of emotions running through her; relief at joining the guild Natsu was in. Sad that the guild was attacked the evening before they joined it. Angry that there were guilds like those who attacked this one in this continent. Most of all, she was worried that she might've made a mistake to join this guild.

"You okay?" Dori asked her. "Yeah. I'm just…hoping things will get better." she answered.

"I'm sure things will be fine." Dori assured her, "This guild isn't as bad as the others we've seen. They definitely are kinder."

"I just hope that will last more than a few days." Palva muttered, turning away from the guild, "After all, I have a…"

Dori looked at her as she couldn't even finished that sentence. More than anything, she just wanted to be a part of a group that didn't see her as a target or a burden. She just wanted to be with people who liked her, and who wanted her to live. No guild they had ever encountered had ever had that kind of thing they wanted. They really hoped Fairy Tail wouldn't turn on them.

"Come on. Let's keep walking." Dori told her. She nodded, and they continued on their path, thinking about what will happen to them next, both the good and the bad.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucy had just returned to her home to discover that Natsu, Gray, Erza and Happy let themselves in without her permission. After explaining to her the warning of Phantom Lord being around, Lucy calmed down. Although it didn't stop her irritation to them when they practically made themselves at home, from finding her stash of sweets and dirty laundry, to Erza being entranced at Lucy's seductive lingerie, to the suggestion of the girls and boys bathing together.

As soon as things calmed down, they all sat in the main room of Lucy's apartment, with Natsu resting his head on the table, Happy eating some fish next to him, Erza Requipping into some pjs, and Gray sitting at Lucy's desk, reading her work.

"I wonder why Phantom attacked us?" Lucy questioned.

"Who knows?" Erza answered, "We've had a lot of small fights before this, but a direct assault has never occurred before."

"If Gramps wasn't such a coward, we could just destroy all those punks." Natsu grumbled abruptly, signaling he was awake to all of this.

"Gramps isn't afraid." Gray retorted, "He is one of the Ten Mage Saints, you know?"

"What do you think you are reading so nonchalantly?!" an embarrassed Lucy questioned, seeing the papers in Gray's hand and snatching it away.

"Hey! I want to know what's going to happen next!" Gray retorted.

"No way!" Lucy retorted, "It's been decided that Levy will be the first to read it!" She then noticed Erza raising a hand to see the story in her hands, and barked, "You're not getting it, either!"

Next, Lucy asked, "Anyways, you mentioned the Ten Mage Saints just now. Who are they?"

"It's a title bestowed by the Chairman of the Magic Council upon the ten greatest mages that walk the land." Erza explained. "Amazing!" Lucy gasped.  
"The master of Phantom Lord, José, is also one of them." Happy added.

Natsu rose to his feet and slammed his hand onto the table as he roared, "He is afraid! The only thing Phantom has is strength in numbers!" "Please calm down…" Lucy begged.

"That's not true, and you know it." the Ice mage retorted, "The Master and Mira want to avoid the fight, as the aftermath would be catastrophic. It's to help maintain the peace and balance of the world and its' magic."

"Is Phantom Lord really that amazing?" Lucy asked.

"They ain't got nothing on us." Natsu scoffed, "We could take those clowns!"

"No…when we clash, casualties and damages are sure to occur on both sides." Erza corrected him, "Our offensive powers are on par with each other. Master Makarov is also equally strong as Master José, as both are members of the Ten Mage Saints. That aside, there's also the Element 4, their S-class mages. Last, but not least, our biggest concern is 'Black Steel' Gajeel. He's the one I suspect to be behind the attack on the Guild. After all, he's the Iron Dragon Slayer."

"Dragon Slayer?!" Lucy gasped, "You mean there are more of those besides Natsu and Palva?! So, that means… He eats iron and uses it for attacks?" The Celestial mage feared what kind of power this new Dragon Slayer might possess, considering they saw what he did to their guild hall.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the home of the Strauss family, Leon was sitting at the table with Elfman, with Mirajane finishing up cooking dinner for them, and explaining to him the caliber Phantom Lord possessed, just as Erza did with Lucy. Pastry was exploring the house, so he wasn't with them at the moment.

"Wow. To think there were more Dragon Slayers out there than just those who wield fire." Leon stated, taking a drink from his cup, "And their master is on the same level as Fairy Tail's."

"Yes. That's why we can't start a fight, no matter how much Natsu wants it." Mirajane told him, "I'm sure you understand the repercussions if we went to war with them." Leon nodded in understanding. He felt like he should inform Dori and Palva to all of this when next they meet, just to be safe.

"Still, it's great to have someone as manly as me joining Fairy Tail." Elfman told Leon with a grin, "The way you handled those iron pillars was super manly!"

"I just needed to do what I thought was right, but thanks for the compliment." Leon answered, looking to him, "Hopefully I can do more for the guild than just remove iron pillars like that."

"So what did you guys do before you came to this continent?" Mirajane asked, placing down dishes to serve up food.

"Mostly traveled." Leon answered, "We never really stayed too long in one place for long. We only stayed long enough to see if we can get any information."

"Information? About what?" the elder Strauss asked. "Mainly, how to help out Palva." Leon answered, "We never got to tell you this, but her magic is unstable. She can only keep it in check as long as he holds onto her lance. That's why we came here to see Natsu, since they both possess the same magic."

"Wow, I didn't know she had such a problem with her magic." Mirajane said in a surprised tone, "She seemed so sweet and nervous."

"That's mainly because we became part of a guild." Leon answered, "We've had…complications with other guilds we've seen and met, so she's developed a fear and sometimes hatred for them."

"Oh my goodness!" Mirajane gasped. "Man, you guys must've had it rough for her to fear and even hate guilds." Elfman muttered.

"True, but that's what made her decision to join this guild a total surprise to us." Leon stated with a grin, "Then again, after meeting Natsu, Lucy and the others, we felt a good vibe from you guys. Your guild is more welcoming than others." The Strauss siblings both smiled in response to this compliment.

Mirajane served up their meal of pork chops and veggies, and served them to everyone. "I should probably get Pastry to join us." Leon asked, about to stand up.

"Let me go find him for you." Mirajane suggested, and she walked off to go find the ginger flying cat.

"Speaking of which, when did you meet that cat?" Elfman asked, "Did you meet him since he came from an egg, like Natsu and Happy did?"

"No. At least, I don't think so." Leon answered, looking down, "I don't really know when we actually met at all, only that it happened four years ago, according to Pastry. I only remember stuff up until two years ago."

"You don't remember anything before that?" Elfman asked in surprise. Leon shook his head and explained, "I've been trying to find out all this time, but so far, I've got nothing. Although…I did somehow remember you and Mirajane the moment I saw you guys. I wonder if that meant we met one another before."

"Not sure." Elfman answered, "Though there is something about you that does seem familiar. Can't say for sure what it is." Leon looked down, wondering why he was able to remember the Strauss siblings? And why did if feel like something, or someone, was missing?

Upstairs, Palva was looking through the rooms curiously. Mirajane's room was the last one, and he looked from the bed to the window, to all the flowers and things she had in her clean room. He decided to refrain from entering into her drawers, although did notice on of the drawers had a bikini strap sticking out of it, realizing what that drawer contained. He got hot in the face as he shook away the temptation to look, and went to her closet.

He opened it up, seeing the multitude of dresses and clothing Mirajane had. "Wow. You'd think the girl had enough clothes to start her own runway." he muttered, moving up to the upper shelf, and seeing some boxes containing clothing too small for her to wear anymore. Why would she keep these about?

Just as he was examining the shelf, Pastry noticed what looked like a picture tucked underneath a set of folded up clothes. He pulled it out and saw the picture. It was a hand-drawn photo that almost looked like it was just copied and pasted into real life, but it contained the Strauss siblings, possibly a couple years ago. Elfman was in the middle, with Mirajane on his right, wearing a more skimpier outfit than what she wore now, and definitely looking more like she was displaying the 'rebellious bad girl' look.

On Elfman's left was another girl, slightly shorter than Mira, with short white hair and eyes like her's, wearing a simple red and pink dress. She was beaming happily with the other two.

Pastry just floated there in surprise, seeing the girl with them. "I knew it…" he muttered, "It's really Lisanna. So she's here, too, or at least was…" He looked up, recalling all the rooms in the house. He saw Elfman's room, but also saw a spare room, too, stripped of anything that resembled someone living there before. He looked down at the photo again, a sad expression crossing his face. If there was no sign of Lisanna living in this place anymore, then it was possible that she…

Just then, he heard footsteps. Pastry hastily placed the photo away, and flew back down, pretending to look at the clothes at Mirajane looked in to see him there.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her expression suspicious that he was acting pervertedly.

"Just seeing if any of these worked for Dori's style." he lied, pulling back from it, "She barely has time to try out any sort of fashion, what with us always on the move. Don't worry. I only looked at what was in the closet, and nothing else."

He walked past Mirajane as he added, "Although you might want to make sure your drawers don't have things sticking out of it. It might cause guests to let their curiosity get the better of them." Mirajane looked to see one of her bikini straps sticking out of the drawer, and looked a bit embarrassed not to see that there before. However, she decided to leave it be for now as she walked behind Pastry.

 _If what I believe is true, then this will make Leon's memory restoration all the harder to deal with._ the ginger cat thought to himself, _I know I shouldn't ask about what happened to her, but I might need to know soon before Leon finds out first. I have to protect him from the horrible nightmare that caused him to lose his memory in the first place._

* * *

Back in the streets of the town, Dori and Palva continued exploring the streets, seeing the river that ran through the town, going to pick up a small snack at the corner sweet shop, discovering where certain members of Fairy Tail were at. Although it was no surprise to see Cana hitting up the bar as they crossed her path, based on what they figured out already this afternoon.

"Do you think she ever gets sober?" Dori chuckled, "Seriously, it's like she doesn't know the meaning of it!"

Palva didn't answer, but smiled a bit at her sister to make her see she was understanding the joke. Nevertheless, she was still thinking about the guild she had joined. After seeing people like them who showed care and consideration. After people like Natsu, who didn't care about her past endeavors. What would happen if they found out about something else about her? Something that would more than likely make them betray her. To break the trust she had only gained in them. What then?

Dori looked to Palva, seeing that she failed to hide the worried expression on her face. She placed a hand on her younger sister's shoulder, getting her attention. "It's gonna be okay, Palva." she assured her, "Hey, tell you what. Let's go find Natsu. We can just chat with him, and see if he has any more ideas on how to control your flames."

"From what I smelled, he was still at Lucy's house." Palva recalled, "Let's head back there." Dori nodded in agreement, and they started heading that direction.

Just then, the sound of clanging metal drew the Dragon Slayer's attention. She stopped and turned towards the direction it came from.

"What's up?" Dori asked, stopping and turning to her. "I heard something." she answered, "It came from the southern part of Magnolia." For some reason, she felt something foreboding. Someone was there, and it felt that it was someone like her. "This way!" she barked, and she charged towards the area she heard the clanging, with Dori racing behind her.

It took a couple minutes, shortened thanks to both of them pouncing and crystal launching themselves over the buildings towards the area. They arrived at the Magnolia Southgate Park, where they could see there was someone there, despite it being so late at night.

They raced down the hill towards the big tree in the middle, to see a brawny young man standing there, looking up at the grin with a grin on his face. The two girls stopped and looked at the tree, then realized, in horror, what he was gazing at. Three individuals were hanging on the tree like they were on a cross, their arms held to the tree with pieces of metal like staplers. They were all beaten and bruised, but they recognized the trio as Team Shadowgear. The young girl, Levy, was in the middle, with an emblem painted onto her.

Palva and Dori were in shock as to seeing their fellow mages in such a state, then glared fiercely at the young man, who growled, "Like what you see, fairies?" He turned to them as he added, "You'll soon be next, hanging alongside them!"

He was around the same height as Leon, and just as muscular, with long, black, spiky hair, red eyes, and had multiple studs on his nose, chin, and where his eyebrows should've been. He wore black and studded-trimmed tunic, a feather wing-like ornament on his right arm, beige pants, black boots, and a pair of studded brown gloves with wristbands. He also sported the same emblem he placed on Levy on his right shoulder.

"Who the hell are you?!" Palva demanded, "Why did you do that to those guys?!"

"Guess your not in the loop, or else you would've understood my intentions." the man answered with a smirk.

"You must be one of Phantom Lords mages, right?" Dori assumed, "Were you the one who damaged the guild hall, too?!"

"Guess you ain't so dumb, after all." the man answered, "But yeah, I'm the one who trashed your sorry excuse of a guild hall. That's what you get for being fairies after all; smashed by my iron!"

"You creep!" Palva barked, and she launched herself at the man before her. She swung her lance at the man before her, but he leapt up to avoid the attack.

Palva skidded to a halt, and looked up to see the guy pull back a fist. " **Iron Dragon's…** " Dori and Palva looked shocked at these words, " **…Club!** " His became similar to the iron pillars that decorated the guild hall before, and it extended down at Palva. She barely got out of the way as the iron club hammered the ground, causing an eruption of rubble to form.

"That guy…uses Dragon Slayer magic!" Palva gasped. "And it looks like it's a different element, too." Dori added, frowning at the guy above them, "Best be on your guard, Palva!"

The guy retracted his club, turning it back into a hand as he added, "Your next, kid!" He landed back onto the ground as he launched another club from his fist at Dori this time. " **Crystal Wall!** " she shouted, forming a wall of crystal that stopped the attack, though it did form cracks in her crystal.

"You think that's gonna stop me?!" the man demanded, unleashing another iron club with his other fist that collided with the wall, shattering it and causing Dori to double back to avoid any damage to herself.

"Hey!" Palva got the guy's attention, seeing her race at him with a flaming lance. "Keep away from my sister! **Fire Dragon's Javelin!** " she launched herself at the guy, took the hit and skidded backwards, retracting his iron clubs as he did so.

"What gives?! You ain't Salamander!" he barked suspiciously, "How's a brat like you able to use magic like his?!"

"Cause I'm not Natsu. I'm Palva Himeka!" the female Dragon Slayer answered, "So you might as well call me…uh, Salamandress!"

"Salamandress? Really?" Dori questioned her sister's new nickname, "It's a work in progress!" Palva answered angrily, "I can't just keep calling myself the Dragon Dragoon all the time!"

"Well, this is a shock." the guy muttered, raising a hand to one side, "Never thought I hear about TWO Fire Dragon Slayers before. Let's see which one of you I can cut down faster! **Iron Dragon's Sword!** " His hand suddenly transformed into a blade with spikes all along the blade. All of a sudden, it started to spin like a chainsaw as he charged at Palva.

"Is that suppose to intimidate me?!" Palva barked, crouching down as her feet became ignited, and she unleashed a Fire Dragon's Pounce directly at the guy. She came in so quickly, he didn't even have time to avoid getting hit before getting slammed in the gut by her. He got sent backwards as Palva recovered herself, although her head was spinning like crazy. "Why is this guy as hard as iron, too?" she questioned in a dazed manner, and she shook herself out of her condition, glaring ahead as the guy came back again, whipping his blade at the ready.

At this point, Dori pulled out her communication lacrima, and called out, "Leon! Do you copy?!" A few seconds later, Leon suddenly appeared on the lacrima as he asked, "I read you, Dori. What's going on?"

"We found the culprit who attacked the guild hall!" Dori exclaimed, watching Palva backflipping over a horizontal slash, "He's at the Southgate Park. He's already taken down three of the guild members, and Palva's trying to deal with him, now!"

"Say what?!" Leon gasped. "Phantom has taken down three of our guild mates?!" Elfman's voice spoke into the lacrima.

"There's more: This guy possess Dragon Slayer magic." Dori continued, "It's that of a metal variety."

"That has to be 'Black Steel' Gajeel." Mirajane informed, "He's Phantom Lord's Dragon Slayer. Be careful!"

"Elfman and I will get there as soon as possible!" Leon informed her, "Make sure Palva doesn't lose control, okay?!"

Dori nodded in response as she answered, "We'll do what we can here."

Just then, one of the man, Gajeel's, iron clubs shot out and broke the lacrima in Dori's hand, causing her to falter back. She turned to see the Iron Dragon Slayer grinning at her. "What were you planning on doing? Calling for backup?" he asked her, "Good! I like a challenge, not like what I can get from you!"

"I don't think so!" Palva roared, unleashing a Fire Dragon's Talon at Gajeel, who raised an arm and endured the attack. He then grabbed Palva's leg, drawing her in close to unleash a punch directly into her chest, sending her flying in screaming pain.

"Palva!" Dori cried, seeing her younger sister hit the ground, groaning in pain. The elder sister's eyes flashed as she locked eyes with Gajeel.

"You wanna go? Can't say I'm impressed with your powers so far." he taunted.

"You're gonna regret messing with me, my sister, and these innocent mages!" Dori barked, slamming the ground and unleashing a Crystal Launcher underneath her target, sending the Iron Dragon Slayer flying. He quickly recovered as Dori raised a palm and shouted, " **Crystal Barrage!** " She sent a scattering of crystal shards up at where Gajeel was.

" **Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!** " Gajeel transformed his hand into a spearhead and unleashed a storm of iron spears that countered the crystal shards that came at him. Both attacks collided and destroyed one another.

"You're wasting your time!" he barked down at Dori.

"No, you're wasting my patience!" the Crystal mage retorted, positioning her hands in front of her like she carried a ball, " **Lacrima Release: Water!** " She unleashed a torrent of water up at Gajeel, who used his spearhead arm to break the wave as he came down at her.

"Is that all you got?! It's pretty flimsy compared to Juvia's magic!" Gajeel barked. "Dunno who that is, but can she do this…?" she asked, " **Lacrima Release: Lightning!** " Her water attack changed into a bolt of lightning, charging up the water and electrifying Gajeel. He roared in pain as he fell backwards to the ground, while Palva got back to her feet again, watching her sister putting down the Dragon Slayer.

He grimaced as he got to his feet again, glaring at Dori. "Cheap trick…" he grumbled. "You're the one who fell for it." Dori answered calmly.

He got back to his feet again as he growled, "I ain't got no time to deal with this crap! I'll settle the score with all of you, make no mistake! Phantom Lord will put you fairies down in no time!"

He took a deep breath as he called out, " **Iron Dragon's…Roar!** " he unleashed a blast of energy consisting of metallic shrapnel, striking the ground. Dori got sent flying backwards as Palva stabbed her lance into the ground, enduring it. When the attack faded, the girls looked up to see that Gajeel was no longer there.

"Crap! He got away!" Palva barked, "I can still go track him down and-."

"No. There's no need for that." Dori interrupted her, turning to their hung guild mates, "These guys come first."

Palva looked to Team Shadowgear as Dori approached them, seeing the condition they were in, and looked down, gritting her teeth in frustration. These three didn't deserve this kind of punishment. Fairy Tail didn't deserve this kind of punishment. This was just out of spite and fun for Phantom Lord to string them up and urge them to come and take them on. Well, they certainly were gonna get their fight, if she had any say in the matter. Those kinds of guilds made her sick to the core.

"Guys!" Leon's voice called out as he and Elfman joined them in the park.

"You arrived a little late." Palva told them, "That iron jerk is gone!"

"Levy!" Elfman gasped, seeing the trio hanging on the tree trunk, "Jet! Troy!"

"Help me get them down!" Dori ordered the boys. Leon and Elfman went to help the guys, while Dori got Levy. They all freed them from the iron staples, and settled them down on the ground.

"They'll be okay, but they still need medical attention." Leon stated, examining Jet's body.

"Is there a hospital nearby?" Dori asked Elfman, who nodded in response, "Then take us to it!" "Right!" he answered, and he led the trio as he carried Troy, while Dori and Palva helped Levy up together.

* * *

Some time later, back at the Phantom Lord guild, Gajeel had only just returned, and was eating scraps of metal, chomping them down like they were stale french fries.

"I heard you attacked Fairy Tail, Gajeel!" a cloaked mage called to him, "I bet all of them are in shock and awe right now. Serves them right, don't ya think?"

Gajeel got irritated that the guy was interrupting his meal, and unleashed an Iron Club in his face, knocking him out. The other mages laughed at the fool who aggravated Gajeel.

"I've told you before, don't disrupt me when I'm having my meals. Trash!" Gajeel growled, retracting his fist, "What about those Fairy Tail clowns?! We are more powerful than them."

"The stage has been set. Excellent work, Gajeel." said a voice from up top, and everyone looked up to see the shadow of their guild master, José, looking down at where Gajeel was at.

"Not so fast, Master." Gajeel responded, "That trash won't retaliate if we leave it at this. That is why I have given them another present."

"Very good, my boy." José answered, "Anyway, just make sure 'that one' stays alive, okay?" The Iron Dragon Slayer smiled in response, but winced a bit at an injury on his chest where Palva slammed herself into.

"You okay, Gajeel? Having a stomach ache?" a girl asked him.

"Nah, just a couple of new mages that got lucky." Gajeel answered, turning to José, "Seems like they got some new recruits. Get this; one of them uses Fire Dragon Slayer just like Salamander." The other mages heard this and were surprised.

"Really?" José asked, narrowing his eyes, "Please, tell me more."

"I think the kid's name was Palva Himeka or something." Gajeel explained, "She ain't got nothing on me. The next time we meet, she'll be six feet under…placed there by my iron fist!"

"Did you say 'Palva'?" José asked Gajeel, who nodded in response. He grinned eagerly as he stated, "Well, this IS a rather good turn of events. We'd best capture her along with our target."

"Why should we? That chick ain't so special apart from possessing that Dragon Slayer magic." Gajeel retorted.

"That may be, but I have recently come across some interesting info on that girl that might explain my reasons for wanting her alive, too." José stated with a malicious grin, "Oh, this is a glorious day, indeed. Phantom Lord will once again be on top, and Fairy Tail will be smashed beneath our feet!"

* * *

The morning after, Team Natsu had just arrived at the hospital, where Team Palva were at, sitting by the unconscious guild mates. They and the Strauss siblings had just informed the Guild about what happened last night, and where they were at now.

"Levy!" Lucy cried, bursting into the room. "Keep it down!" Dori silenced her, "The doctors said they'll live, but their injuries are pretty bad."

While Erza, Gray and Happy were concerned for the trio, a certain Fire Dragon Slayer was livid with anger. So much so, that even his hair started to stand on ends as he growled, "So Phantom Lord did this, too?! Why the hell didn't you call for me last night?!"

"It all happened so fast, Natsu." Leon explained, "We didn't have time to call everyone in before he took off. There was very little we could do."

"Even so, he left his calling card to us." Palva growled, getting everyone's attention, "He and his guild want a fight. Why? I don't know, and I don't care. I can't stand people like them who punish those who are innocent! I'll make that guy pay!" Her body started to intensify with a fiery aura as her rage increased.

"Palva, calmed down!" Dori stopped her, calming her down enough to cease the aura, "You know what happens when you get angry. Besides, we can't do anything without the master's say so. Be grateful that these guys are able to make it out alive at all." Palva looked down, still infuriated with Phantom Lord and what they did.

Just then, the door opened, and in came Master Makarov. He was no longer in his old clothes before, but now wore a white cloak with fur on the ridges, and a medallion-like symbol on the back of it. He carried a staff like a walking stick, with the Fairy Tail emblem on it.

"Master…" Erza muttered, looking to him as he looked to the three injured mages of his guild.

"I'm sorry, Master." Dori apologized, "If we only got there sooner, we would have…" She couldn't finish that sentence, but looked worried she and Palva might've disappointed him.

"I don't blame any of you. You did what you could to help." Makarov answered, then his face started to become angry as he stated, "Nevertheless, I can take our headquarters being reduced to a run-down beer lounge, but no father can stand idly by when the blood of his children is spilled."

He suddenly surged with energy as the staff in his hand suddenly broke from his tightened grip. Lucy and Pastry both seemed shocked at his surge of anger. He glared fiercely as he declared the words Natsu, Palva and everyone else agreed on.

"We shall go to war!"

* * *

 **Another chapter down. I didn't go to the 10k words mark like usual, but I did add my own additional unique moments into this chapter. I figured that these will now add more to what you know about the characters so far. There will be a good reason why Palva has a fear and hatred for guilds, and that will be revealed soon. Also, the history between Leon and the Strauss siblings will come to light as well, but don't expect it to come out in the next chapter. There are many questions that need to be answered, and they will in due time.**

 **As always, leave a review for me. The more detailed, the better. And don't forget to favor my work, too!**


	7. Flames & Crystals vs Elements & Steel

PREVIOUSLY ON FAIRY TAIL:

Team Natsu and Team Palva returned to Magnolia only to discover the guild had been attacked by Phantom Lord, a rival guild to Fairy Tail. Fortunately, Leon, Dori and Palva helped out in getting the repairs started by dislodging the cause of the damage, and soon afterwards, along with Pastry, joined the Fairy Tail guild.

Later on that night, Leon and Pastry joined the Strauss siblings, Mirajane and Elfman, at their house, where Leon believes he might find clues to his lost memories. Dori and Palva decided to patrol the streets that night, and discovered the Phantom Lord's Dragon Slayer, Gajeel, who had just defeated three members of Fairy Tail, Levy, Jet and Troy. The two engaged in a brawl with him, but Gajeel decided to call it quits, and left for his guild. While Phantom Lord master, José, planned the next move onto Fairy Tail, Master Makarov declared war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord.

* * *

Back at the Magnolia Hospital, Lucy and Pastry were sitting right where Levy laid, still unconscious. Curtains separated her from Jet and Troy.

"Troy…Jet…Levy…" Lucy muttered, looking over to where their in-repair guild hall was at, "How can Phantom do something so horrible?"

"We've seen people like them before." Pastry told her, "People who just pick fights and cause damage just to get under your skin. They always do it for a reason, whether it is for their own pleasure, or something more."

"Levy didn't deserve this." Lucy muttered, tears starting to form in her eyes, "She was so sweet to me when I first met her, Jet and Troy. I promised her that I she would read my story when I finish writing it." She curled her fists as she sobbed, "What they've done is unforgivable… They're gonna pay."

Pastry looked to Lucy, watching her cry for her friends. He looked back outside, seeing the guild hall, wondering. Palva, Lucy and Leon all joined the most of the guild as they went to where the Phantom Lord's guild was at. They were gonna fight alongside the guild, and to give judgement to those who did wrong to the guild. They told him to stay behind and watch for any signs of Phantom if they tried more sneak attacks here. He doubted that it would happen, but to him, the doubtful moments usually did come true.

* * *

 **Oak Town**

In the north-eastern part of Fiore lies the guild hall of the Phantom Lord. The mages were celebrating the destruction Gajeel dealt to Fairy Tail, jeering and insulting the guild to their hearts content. One of the mages planned to leave to start a job that he got double the reward price from threatening the requester. However, just as he reached the door, it blasted apart, sending the mage flying backwards, crashing to the ground. Everyone turned to the door with threatening glares as the smoke cleared, revealing Natsu in the front of the mass majority of Fairy Tail.

"Fairy Tail has come calling!" Makarov roared, followed by a war cry from the rest of the guild.

All of the Phantom Lord mages rose up, readying their weapons and magic as they charged at them. Palva joined Natsu's side as they raced forward, unleashing a Fire Dragon's Javelin and Wing Attack, respectively, incinerating several of the mages that got too close to them.

"We don't care who tries…" Palva growled. "…Bring it on!" Natsu roared angrily.

Everyone joined the two Dragon Slayer's fight as they and the Phantom Lord mages collided. In regards to numbers, Phantom Lord definitely had more, but Fairy Tail had the strength behind their individual mages.

Dori leapt upward and landed down in the center of a group of Phantom Mages. " **Crystal Crown!** " she roared, and several crystals formed a ring around her, sending more mages flying.

" **Requip!** " Leon roared, putting on one piece of his armor at a time, starting with his dark claymore and slashing any that came close to him. He then completed the Shadow Rain Armor, he roared, " **Black Typhoon!** " He unleashed an all- around cross slash that sent any enemies close to him flying.

He then felt an earthquake, and turned to see a shocking development. Makarov, the master who was barely half the height of Natsu, was now towering over everyone in a gigantic form, slamming a fist that crushed several Phantom Lord mages.

"M-Monster!" gasped one of the mages. "YOU BASTARDS BROUGHT THE FIGHT TO THE CHILDREN OF THAT MONSTER!" roared the Fairy Tail master, "DON'T EVEN FOR A SECOND THINK YOU'LL BE PROTECTED BY HUMAN LAWS!"

"Holy crap! I didn't see that coming!" Palva gasped, stopping to see the giant Makarov, "Guess that explains why he's the master, huh?"

"Nah, Gramps is only warming up!" Natsu stated, his fist consumed in flames, "As for me, I'm all fired up and ready to destroy these jerks!" He unleashed a hammer fist of flames on the ground, causing an explosion that sent people flying.

"Well, I'm not as fired up as you are…" Palva retorted, her feet igniting in flames, "…but my heart's burnin' brightly, and and it ain't dyin' today!" She unleashed a stream of flames with a spin kick, causing a large wave of flames to incinerate the enemies in front of her.

"JOSÉ, SHOW YOURSELF!" Makarov demanded.

"Where are they?!" Erza demanded, switching to her Flame Empress Armor, "Gajeel and the Element 4?!"

 _Something doesn't feel right…_ Dori pondered after unleashing a Crystal Cataclysm onto several unfortunate mages, _They have tons of mages, sure. But they are all weak. Surely, they couldn't be underestimating this guild by not allowing their best fighters to fight. So where are they in this mess?_

* * *

Back in Magnolia, Lucy and Pastry left the hospital and went to get some groceries, then decided to head back to Lucy's house.

"I can't believe everyone just took off without me…" Lucy grumbled, "Well, someone needs to care for Levy and all. It can't be helped then. So, where do you plan on going?"

"I could go to the guild hall to stay with Mirajane, but I'm more worried about you, what with you worried about Levy." Pastry answered, looking up at his companion, "If you don't mind, can I stay with you at your place until the others return?"

"Sure, as long as you don't damage anything." Lucy replied, "Gotta say, it feels nice for someone to ASK before entering into my place. Mainly, Natsu and Happy just barge in without an invitation."

"That's stupid. Why would they do that?!" he asked, finding it bewildering someone had that horrible of manners to their friends.

Just then, the gray sky above them suddenly started to give way to a rainstorm, stopping the two. "Well, this came out of nowhere!" Pastry muttered, protecting his head with his hands.

"What is this? A sunshower?" Lucy asked, looking up.

Just then, the two noticed someone approaching them down the street ahead of them. It was a teenage girl with azure blue hair tightly curled at the base, with a curvaceous figure. She wore a Russian-styled attire, including a sapphire blue coat with a cream-colored furry trim, a navy blue shawl with similar trimming, a teru teru bōzu attached to it, and a Cossack hat.

"Who is it?!" Lucy questioned, both she and Pasty finding her appearance conveniently timed with the rain strange.

"Steadily and silently…" the woman muttered, approaching the two, "Juvia is the rain-woman. Steadily and silently."

 _This woman has some issues here…_ both Lucy and Pastry thought to themselves.

"What kind of people are you?" the woman named Juvia asked, drawing closer to the two.

"Just who the heck are you, lady?" Pastry asked, confused. She didn't answer, but instead she passed by them, muttering 'Steadily and silently' once more. "What's with her?" Lucy wondered.

Juvia suddenly produced a pink and heart-patterned parasol as she said, "That was enjoyable. Farewell."

"EH?! WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!" Lucy questioned incredulously. Pastry remained silent, his confusion and concern increasing.

"Non, non, non! Non, non, non!" said a voice that suddenly appeared, and the two plus Juvia turned to see the ground rise up, "Non, non, non, non, non, non, non!" The rising ground suddenly took form into a slim man with green pointy hair and a tiny mustache, wearing a monocle over his right eye. He wore a brown formal suit with a ragged collar, a white shirt underneath, and red tie. He also wore a short cape attached to his elbows.

"With a 3-3-7 non, that's bonjour!" greeted the new character. "Another weirdo appeared!" Lucy cried out in dismay.

"Lucy, I have a bad feeling this is more than just a coincidence these two appeared before us." Pastry muttered, frowning at the two individuals.

"Juvia-mon ami, you must not turn away and abandon your job." the man pointed out to the rain-woman. "Monsieur Sol." Juvia greeted the man.

With his feet part of the pavement, he circled over to Juvia's side as he said, "My monocle, it whispers to me that this mademoiselle is our beloved cible."

"Oh, so it was this girl?" Juvia asked plainly.

"Cible?" Pastry questioned, turning to Lucy, "What the heck does that mean?"

"That means…'target'." Lucy answered, growing just as concerned as Pastry.

"Pardon us for the late introduction." Sol told the two, twisting till his torso up was sideways, "My name is Sol, one of the Element 4. People call me 'Sol of the Earth', but please call me Monsieur Sol!"

"Element 4?" Lucy gasped, recalling who they were. "So they're part of Phantom!" Pastry growled, spreading his wings out and floating up next to Lucy.

"Tre bien! Correct!" Sol answered, "We have both come to invite you on behalf of the great Phantom Lord!" Both Lucy and Pastry grew more serious, ready to take them on.

"And tis is the rain-woman of the Element 4." Sol continued, waving a hand to the woman next to him, "People call her Juvia of the Great Sea."

Lucy dropped her groceries and grabbed her keys, growling, "You're the ones who did that to Levy! How dare…!" Before she could finish her sentence, however, she suddenly found herself encased in a sphere of water. "Lucy!" Pastry cried out, seeing her hammer her fist on the water, trying to break free.

"Non, non, non!" Sol retorted, "With those three non, I right your wrong! Destroying your guild and attacking Levy was all the work of Gajeel! Although that doesn't change the fact that it was with the Guild's consent."

"What is this?! Let me out!" Lucy gargled. "Let her go, right now!" Pastry demanded to Juvia, knowing it was her powers that were doing this.

"Juvia's Water Lock can never be broken." the rain-woman replied.

"In that case…" Pastry growled, and he took to the sky, aiming to the sphere of water, watching Lucy's starting to grow unconscious from drowning, " **Mach Spike!** " His wings grew blue as he curled up and dashed down at the dome as hard and fast as he could. It only took a couple seconds, but he managed to break through the Water Lock, grab Lucy, and fly out of there, taking to the streets as fast as he could.

"He broke through the Water Lock!" Juvia gasped, seeing him take off, "How can that little cat produce the power to do that?!"

"Lucy, stay with me!" Pastry ordered to Lucy, seeing her limp state from being drowned into submission, "I'll take you back to the guild! Mirajane can help!"

"Non, non, non!" Sol's voice echoed, disappearing from where he was before and appearing in front of the path Pastry took, "With those three non, I shall stop you at once! **Roche Concerto!** " He unleashed a storm of rocks from the ground itself up at Pastry. He reacted as best as he could, dodging every rock as he started to climb higher into the sky.

 _What's with them?! They're dead serious about getting Lucy!_ Pastry noticed, _Too bad, though. I'm use to escaping attacks while carrying Palva. This is nothing!_

His thoughts were dismissed as he felt a powerful blow to the back. A whip of water from Juvia suddenly extended towards him, hitting him directly. "There's no escaping the Element 4." Juvia warned him, "If you resist, we will resort to force."

"No…fair…" Pastry groaned, struggling to hold himself in the air while holding Lucy, but the attack did too much to him. He fell, dropping Lucy towards the ground. Her keys fell out of her pouch as Sol reappeared, catching her with his elastic body and rolling her to the ground, where she remained unconscious. Pastry fell into a couple flower pots, breaking them upon impact and almost going unconscious, as well.

"Trés bien! We got 'er!" Sol stated with joy as Juvia joined his side. "We have no need for that cat." Juvia noted, looking at where Pastry was at, then to Lucy, she stated, "Do not worry. Juvia will not kill you. Because it is Juvia's mission to bring you back…Lucy Heartfilia."

 _Lucy…Heartfilia?_ Pastry struggled to remain conscious, but his condition forced him to grow unconscious as his head rolled to one side, and everything went black on him.

* * *

Back at the battle in Phantom Lord's guild hall, a bunch of mages attempted to unleash their own Fire magic at the Fairy Tail mages, but both Natsu and Palva ate and absorbed the flames, taking it all in.

"Oh, yeah! Now I've got a fire in my belly!" Natsu snickered. "You do realize you just made a mistake using fire on us, right?" Palva questioned them. The terrified mages started to realize who these two must be as the two of them simultaneously unleashed Fire Dragon's Roar onto all of them, practically burning away a quarter of the guild hall.

" **Crystal Barrage!** " Dori screamed, unleashing a storm of crystals onto a swarm of enemies while Gray unleashed his Ice-Make Lance nearby.

" **Sonic Fang!** " Leon roared, unleashing an unseeable attack with his spear in his Swift Armor, taking out anyone in his path, joining with Erza as she had on her Black Wing Armor.

Everyone in Fairy Tail kept up the insane levels of damage against Phantom Lord, although the enemy did have tenacity to keep going despite the damage they took.

Natsu, Gray, Palva and Dori found themselves backed together, their individual magic energy pulsing from their fists or, in Palva's case, weapon.

"Not too shabby, droopy eyes!" Natsu told Gray. "Ha! You too, squinty eyes!" Gray answered.

"Save the name calling for enemies and not our allies, guys!" Dori argued with them.

"I'm only just starting to have fun here." Leon stated as he and Erza were back to back with one another, "You holding up, Scarlet?"

"I didn't come here to have fun, but to bring justice." the red-head retorted, turning to Leon as she added, "But even so, it's nice to work alongside someone who's as skilled with a blade as me." Leon smirked at that remark.

"Erza!" Makarov called out, reaching the second floor of the guild hall, "I'll leave things here with you!"

"Master!" Erza called out. "Where's he going?" Leon asked.

"José is probably at the top floor…" Makarov growled, "I'll end this once and for all!"

Erza looked back up at him in a worried manner. She knew that José was also a Mage Saint just like Makarov, so for the two to clash would be catastrophic, and no one had even the slightest accurate guess as to who would win. "Be safe…" she muttered.

"COME ON! MAN UP!" Roared Elfman's voice, bashing enemies out of the way with the arm and claws of a scaly beast replacing his right arm, "DON'T YOU WANT TO BE A MAN LIKE ME?!"

"Whoa! What's that?!" Palva asked, looking towards Elfman with his odd arm.

"I think that's Take Over magic!" Dori analyzed, "It's a sort of magic that allows one to absorb any sort of creature into them and use them to 'take over' their body, using the creature's power to their advantage. There are many forms of soul to Take Over. In Elfman's case, it's Beast Soul. Question is, why just his arm?"

Leon looked to Elfman, seeing the others intimidated by him. For some reason, he didn't seem perplexed by Elfman's transformation. In fact, it almost felt natural to see him with the arm of a beast. Was this related to why he felt he knew Elfman and Mirajane before? Had he seen this form of magic before? In his past two years, no. Yet somehow, it was familiar.

Just then, someone cackled from above as there was a crash. Everyone turned to see someone dive from the rafters, landing on the indoor Phantom Lord sign, nearly breaking it in half with his landing. The dust cleared to reveal a face familiar to Palva and Dori from last night.

"The Iron Dragon Slayer; 'Black Steel' Gajeel!" Erza noticed. _So that's the guy, huh?_ Leon understood, seeing the man above them, _The Dragon Slayer Palva and Dori fought before._

Suddenly, the tribal-looking mage of Fairy Tail, Nab, suddenly leapt up at Gajeel. "How dare you hurt Levy!" he roared, readying a punch. His attack was quickly dismissed as Gajeel suddenly unleashed an Iron Club at his abdomen, dragging him into the ground and sending both friend and foe flying from the impact.

"Nab!" Loke called to him. "That guy even took out his own comrades with that strike!" Gray gasped.

Gajeel landed on the ground as he retracted his club, taunting, "Listen up, Fairy Tail scum! The Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel, will be your opponent now, unless you're scared!"

"Scared?!" Elfman echoed angrily, leaping at Gajeel, "Real men don't ever get scared!" His right arm suddenly changed again, transforming into the arm of a stone golem. Gajeel blocked with an iron club from his arm.

"Elfman, huh?" Gajeel analyzed his opponent, then unleashed a pair of iron clubs at him, before producing a third club attack from his foot, which Elfman stopped with his stone arm. "Oh. Not bad at all, big guy." he stated with a grin.

"He's mine!" Palva and Natsu barked, racing towards him. "Get back here, you two!" Dori shouted, racing right behind him.

Leon joined Elfman's side, now in his normal form as he unleashed a circle slash at Gajeel. He blocked the blade with a free arm he turned into an iron club.

"I ain't heard of you before." the Iron Dragon Slayer told Leon, "Get lost, nobody!" He extended his iron club into Leon, who he parried with his blade, producing sparks from the collision of metal. The swordsman then unleashed a kick to Gajeel's abdomen, causing him to lurch back and giving Elfman a chance to come in with a punch to his face, skidding him backwards even further.

"You're dealing with a pair of real men, here!" Elfman barked as he and Leon got into fighting stances.

"We were the reinforcements Dori tried calling in last night." Leon noted, "Care to test the waters with us, metal head?"

Gajeel cracked his neck, barely phased by the two's attack. "Gotta say, that hurt a little." he stated with a grin.

Just then, Palva and Natsu came out from behind the two men, roaring, "GAJEEL!" and unleashed their usual fiery kick and punch to him, sending him careening into the bar. The fact that he was sent flying certainly surprised his fellow guildmates.

Gajeel sat back up, seeing the twin Fire Dragon Slayers glaring at him, with Natsu's fists and Palva's feet consumed in flames.

"We're Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers!" Natsu introduced angrily. "You won't get away, like last time!" Palva barked. Gajeel didn't seem intimidated by the two as he rose to his feet, smirking.

"Elfman, Leon, leave this fight to us!" Dori ordered the two men as she passed them, getting behind her sister and Natsu.

"Hold on! This is a manly showdown!" Elfman retorted, "Don't you dare-."

Leon stopped him by punching him in the shoulder lightly, getting his attention. "You'd best listen to her." he warned him, "Trust me, Dori has it under control."

" **Iron Dragon's Club!** " Gajeel unleashed another iron pillar from his hand, aiming at Palva. Natsu pushed her out of the way and caught the attack with his bare hands. "Natsu!" Palva cried, seeing him grind to a halt on the ground, his body steaming in rage.

"This jerk demolished our Guild, and you attacked Levy and her team!" Natsu growled, and his hands ignited in flames, "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"

With tremendous force, Natsu sent Gajeel flying into the rafters above. The Iron Dragon Slayer flipped himself over as he caught the rafters with his feet, shooting himself back down at Natsu. However, it was Palva that shot up with an uppercut kick, roaring, "Don't forget I have some payback for you, too!" Gajeel attempted to catch her foot like last time again, but Palva instead flipped it away as she slammed her lance onto his neck, causing him to fly into the wall with a crash. She landed onto the ground next to Natsu, glaring just as heatedly at him.

"Oh ho, they sure are having a blast there." Wakaba noticed. "Must be nice being young." Macao added.

"As expected." Erza said, looking at the two. "Those two are quite the pair." Leon noted with a smirk.

"Natsu! Palva! I'll leave the man-to-man fight to you!" Elfman told them, "But in return…"

"Sure! I will beat him to a pulp." Natsu understood. "I'm not a man, but I agree with Natsu." Palva added.

"Actually, I want in this fight, too." Dori added, standing next to Palva.

"No way, Dori! This is Palva and my's fight!" Natsu barked back, "Actually, I wouldn't mind just it being my fight!"

"Excuse me, but my sis and I already started a fight with him last night, and we intend to finish it!" Palva retorted, "Besides, I haven't even gotten started on this guy, yet!"

"Would you two just quit it?!" Dori ordered, "We're starting a fight with this Iron Dragon Slayer, not one another! Let's just see who will take him out first!"

Just then, they heard a chuckle, and turned to see Gajeel rise out of the rubble from his crash, his eyes glowing. "How 'bout I do you a favor, and choose the one I want to beat to a pulp, first!" he growled.

"Fine then. Take one of us on, and we'll beat you to a pulp!" Natsu smack-talked, with the sisters also ready to fight, too.

"Fine then!" Gajeel barked, racing towards the trio, transforming one of his feet into an iron club, and unleashing a kick…at Palva. She felt the full force of the attack as she was sent flying out of the broken doors.

"Palva!" Dori cried, seeing the heavy blow to her sister.

"Let's take this outside!" Gajeel barked, breaking the floor as he made a huge leap after Palva.

"Get back here!" Natsu barked, making a mad dash after Gajeel, "Happy, let's go!" "Aye, sir!" shouted the blue cat, flying after him. Dori unleashed a Crystal Launcher on herself, sending her flying after the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Hey! Where are they going?!" Gray demanded, seeing the four taking off.

"Looks to me like Gajeel sent her flying out there on purpose." Leon noticed, "But why take it out there? Gajeel certainly didn't mind wrecking the area around here."

"Maybe he doesn't know how manly Palva and those guys can be outside!" Elfman suggested. Leon didn't think that was the case, and neither, based on her expression, did Erza think so. Both of them were suspicious of this.

* * *

Outside, Palva flipped herself in the air, seeing Gajeel coming after her. "It's all over, little ember!" Gajeel taunted, unleashing another Iron Dragon's Club at her.

"Oh, yeah?!" Palva demanded, unleashing her Fire Dragon's Javelin to counter the attack. She pierced the Iron Club, making Gajeel grimace in pain. He then saw this as an opportunity, and swung Palva around while she kept a death grip on her stuck lance, until he dislodged the spearhead from his club, sending her flying towards the city and crashing into the ground, surrounded by people.

Gajeel chuckled at his handiwork, then heard Natsu's voice shouting, " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " He turned in time to get hit hard in the face with a fiery fist, crashing directly into the ground beneath her, creating a crater with his body. Natsu, with Happy flying him, dove down after him, with Dori falling in from behind.

"Crystal Barrage!" Dori unleashed a storm of crystals from her open palm down at Gajeel, who used his Iron Dragon's Club to eject himself from the crater, avoiding the attack altogether. He rose up and turned as Dori and Natsu landed in the center of the crater, glaring daggers at him.

"You punks don't know when to quit, do you?" Gajeel asked the two of them.

"I told you, this fight is mine!" Natsu barked. "Why did you attack Palva first?!" Dori demanded.

"I don't have to answer that for you!" Gajeel snickered, "However, I do have a bone to pick with you, red-head, after that battle last night!"

Natsu growled while Dori narrowed her eyes at Gajeel. Just then, Natsu suddenly stopped growling as his nostrils flared, sniffing something out. He looked towards an area close to a rocky landscape as he muttered, "That scent…is that Lucy?"

Dori looked to him, asking, "Wait, what?"

"I can smell Lucy. She's here!" Natsu stated, "She's moving fast!"

"But I don't see her over there." Happy stated, looking to where Natsu was gazing, "Besides, Lucy was back at Magnolia with Levy and the others." This drew the concern of both Dori and Natsu.

"Where are you two looking at?!" Gajeel demanded, racing at the two with a prepared iron fist. Dori immediately reacted with a Crystal Wall underneath Gajeel, sending him into a backflip.

"Natsu, let me handle this guy!" she ordered, "You trace out Lucy's scent!"

"No way, man! Gajeel is mine!" Natsu barked, "I ain't gonna let you hog all the glory!"

"Listen to me!" Dori spat, "You're the only one who can smell Lucy here. I can't chase her down like you can, so see where she is, and find out why she's here! If you can get her back, I'll let you finish this battle, deal?!"

Natsu seemed really irritated at this, but he growled, "Okay, fine! But you better let me knock his teeth in when I get back! Let's go, Happy!" Happy took Natsu by the back again, and took off towards the rocky area.

Just then, the crystal wall broke from Gajeel's club, drawing Dori's attention to him. "So Salamander decided to high tail it out of here. Ha! Just like a Fairy to run with their tail between their legs."

"Sorry, but you're wrong." Dori retorted, "I sent him off for more pressing matters. But now, it's just you and me!" She charged forward at Gajeel, shouting, " **Crystal Pinnacle!** ", and encasing her fist in a said form of crystal. Gajeel smirked as he unleashed his own Iron Club again, and the two's fists collided, creating a powerful shockwave.

* * *

Palva rose to her feet again as she looked around, seeing the audience of civilians she was attracting. "Damn, that Gajeel!" she grimaced, massaging her neck, "Where did he end up going to?!"

Just then, Palva's dragon senses kicked in, and she forward flipped out of the way someone from behind came in with a slash of his katana. She flipped herself around, seeing a young man with hair that was split white and black, tied in a top knot, with black markings across his face, passing the bridge of his nose, wearing reddish orange, ninja-like garb. In one of his hands was a katana.

"You're quick, I'll give you that." the new opponent stated to Palva, "Too bad Gajeel is too preoccupied to have the two of us take you down."

"Who the hell are you?!" Palva demanded, readying her lance.

"My name is Totomaru. I am the fire manipulator of the Element 4." the man introduced himself, "All flames in this world submit to me!"

"Oh, is that right?" Palva questioned with a glare, her feet igniting in flames, "Then why don't you try controlling my flames?!" She launched herself at Totomaru, who raised a hand and produced a magic circle. All of a sudden, the flames in Palva's feet suddenly caused her to flip upside down, and she slammed into the ground on her head.

"I told you, it is pointless to fight me with fire!" Totomaru warned her, "All flames bend to my will. Your's is no exception."

"Ow! You almost broke my neck!" Palva barked, getting back to her feet again.

"Why don't you just stay down, then?" the fire mage asked, producing another magic circle and sending blue flames at Palva.

 _Blue flames?_ Palva questioned, and she raised her lance towards it, causing it to suck into her lance and then into her body. As she did so, she felt the flames's touch send shivers down her arm. "Whoa! This is chilly!" Palva stated in amazement, fully absorbing the attack, "I've heard about those kind of flames, but never actually took it in!"

"So it is true. You're the new Fire Dragon Slayer Gajeel mentioned." Totomaru understood, "That makes you the target that José wanted to get."

"Target? What the heck are you talking about?!" Palva asked.

"All you need to know is that your flames cannot harm me." Totomaru stated, readying his hand, "Why don't you just come with me quietly?"

Palva's response was a raised lance as she stated, "If my magic doesn't work, then how's about we settle this with our weapons! Think you can keep up?"

Totomaru instantly vanished, and reappeared with a slash that Palva blocked with her lance. "That shouldn't be a problem." he taunted. "Bring it, split-hair!" Palva retorted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy had just reached the rocky landscape, with Natsu sniffing out where Lucy might be from the sky. They were also nearing the headquarters of the Phantom Lord; a large towering structure that was bigger than their guild.

"I can smell her down below us, but I can't see her!" Natsu stated, looking down beneath him.

"Maybe she's gone invisible?" Happy assumed.

"Really?! I didn't know she was able to do that!" Natsu gasped, "Damn it, Lucy! You've been holding out on us!" Happy led Natsu to the ground as he ignited his fists, roaring, "COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!" He unleashed a ground-breaking punch that sent cracks debris flying all around the area, practically destroying the place.

For a moment upon impact, nothing happened. Then suddenly, the two friends heard, "Mon Dieu! Must you be so violent in finding me out?!" Suddenly, two figures reappeared out of the ground. One of them was Sol of the Element 4. The other, laying in front of him, was none other than an unconscious Lucy.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried out to her. "A creepy guy came out of the ground!" Happy exclaimed.

"Non non non. With three nons, I dismiss your accusation for call me terrifiant." Sol retorted, waving his body about.

"Who are you, and what are you doing with Lucy?!" Natsu demanded angrily.

"Such lack of manners, monsieur. You must be the Samanadre, no?" Sol asked, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sol of the Element 4, but you may address me as Monsieur Sol."

"You're one of the Element 4?" Natsu questioned him. "Tell me why you kidnapped Lucy?!" Happy demanded.

"Ah, but alas, it was our job to take madam Lucy Heartfilia." Sol stated, "As it was requested by 'er father."

"Her father?" Happy echoed, confused.

Natsu didn't care, as he ignited his fists into flames again as he roared, "Screw that! She's coming with us!" He made a leaping strike at Sol, who melted into the ground to escape the attack. He looked about, wondering where he went, with Lucy right behind him.

"Come out and fight me!" Natsu barked. "Non non non! Such an impulsive young man you are, just like monsieur Gajeel!" Sol's voice echoed, "But you will only draw yourself into très trouble." He rose out of the ground from Natsu's side as he called out, " **Roche Concerto!** " The rubbled ground beneath Natsu gave way, sending a barrage of rocks upwards, peppering him hard.

"Natsu!" Happy cried out. "Happy, get Lucy out of here!" Natsu barked, enduring the attack quite well.

"You will do no such thing!" Sol barked, sliding towards where Lucy was, who started to regain consciousness from hearing Natsu.

"Oh, yeah?!" Natsu barked, raising a fist of flames through Sol's attack, and curving it around, making contact with Sol and sending him backwards, while stopping his magic attack.

"Now, Happy!" Natsu barked. "Aye!" Happy responded, flying in and taking Lucy from the back, carrying her upwards.

"Nat..su?" Lucy muttered in a groggy manner, then realizing the situation, she became fully awake as she questioned, "Wait, what's going on?!"

"It's gonna be okay, Lucy." the Dragon Slayer assured her, "I'll take care of this punk, for sure!" Lucy looked to see Sol regaining himself, whiles she was taken to the air by Happy.

"Non non non! You shall not escape ze Element 4!" Sol barked, readjusting his monocle as he barked, " **Sable Dance!** " A huge gust of sand suddenly formed about them, causing Happy to struggle to fly with Lucy in it. Natsu came to the rescue, unleashing a Fire Dragon's Roar that caused Sol to hastily retreat into the ground, stopping his attack, and allowing Happy to take Lucy out of his reach.

Natsu grinned at his friend's escape, then saw Sol rise out of the ground with a shadowy body and glowing eyes. "Now you've done it, Salamandre." he stated his body wiggling like a cobra, "You're going to see just how big an erreur you made interfering with me."

"You're the one who's made an error messing with Fairy Tail, pal!" Natsu barked, his fists consumed in flames, "I'm gonna take you down quickly, then I'm gonna head back and take care of Gajeel!"

"What's going on?! How did I end up here?!" Lucy questioned as Happy took her away.

"I don't know, either." Happy answered, "But from what that guy said, they brought you here because your dad asked them to."

The news shocked Lucy. "My…father?" she questioned, "No way…that's a lie! Why would he?!"

"Lucy, are you doing okay?" Happy asked, looking worried at her reaction, "Why would your dad hire Phantom to get you? Doesn't he know you're in Fairy Tail?"

"Honestly…I'm surprised he even knew I left…" Lucy muttered, her body shaking, "I'm never going back there! Never again!" Happy looked surprised at this. What kind of vendetta did she hold against her father? Why did she not want to go back home again?

* * *

Back in the Phantom Lord guild hall, Leon and Erza were practically leading the fight for everyone, taking out the most enemy mages out of everyone. That being said, everyone else was putting in a lot of hard work just like them, particularly ones like Gray and Elfman.

After Leon slashed several mages away, he turned to see the rest of his guild make great progress taking out the mages. "We might be able to pull this off." he muttered, "But still, I hope Palva and Dori are doing okay. I know they're powerful and all, but this guild still hasn't shown their aces yet…"

Just then, there was an explosion from above, and he looked up at the sound of it and the sound of what might've been Makarov's outcry. Something came falling from the ceiling high above, landing in the center of the battlefield.

"What?!" Elfman gasped, seeing the crash site. "Something fell from above!" another person noticed. Everyone turned as they saw the dust clear from the crash site, revealing it to be something horrible. It was Master Makarov, his skin tinted in a green color, and his expression of mortifyingly sick.

"Master Makarov!" Leon cried out in shock. "Gramps!" Gray exclaimed. "Master!" Erza gasped.

The three of them and Cana raced to Makarov, Erza reaching him first and picking him up. "My…my magical power…" he moaned weakly.

"Master, hang in there!" Erza begged. "What happened to him?!" Cana questioned.

"What on earth…" Gray muttered in shock, "I can't sense any magical power from him at all."

"You're kidding me?!" Elfman gasped, looking at the old master, "You mean he's an average old man, now?!"

"Master Makarov, you got to get ahold of yourself!" Leon barked at him, with no response from the master.

"Unbelievable… How did they beat Gramps?" Gray asked.

"What the hell is up there?" Elfman asked, looking the rafters.

Just then, the Phantom Lord mages were starting to comprehend the situation, and their moral suddenly rose now that the Fairy Tail master was defeated. With the shift of power turning to them, they became more ready to fight their opponents as they charged in at all the Fairy Tail mages, taking them out one after another.

"Don't get cocky!" Leon barked, getting back into the swing of things and unleashing a powerful slash that sent Phantom Lord mages flying, "We will never give up, no matter who is taken out!"

Despite his declaration, the Fairy Tail mages were distracted by their master's defeat, while the spirits of the Phantom Lord mages only rose. Cana also got taken down by a triple attack, but Macao took the full blow for her instead. Wakaba was also hurt pretty badly from the fight, as was Nab, who's arm looked like it was broken. So many of the mages were already trying to defend their fallen master from harm, but the pressure was placed against them. Erza was the one who could see the outcome; their guild would lose if this keeps up. They had no choice.

* * *

Back in town, Palva and Totomaru were still going at one another, with Totomaru's fast speed and skills with a blade, and Palva's aerial and lance skills, it was practically a battle between a ninja and a dragoon.

"It would seem you're more than just a Dragon Slayer, aren't you?" Totomaru stated.

"Just wait until I actually start trying!" Palva retaliated, and she launched herself forward with a thrust of her lance. The fire mage vanished and reappeared from behind, attempting a back slash. Palva pushed herself up into the air with her feet, avoiding the slash. She then spun her lance around, striking his hands and sending the blade out of it, causing it to clatter to the ground a good distance away from them.

"There! How do you like that?!" Palva barked, turning to him.

"Don't get cocky, little kid!" Totomaru retorted, "You haven't won just yet!" He unleashed a blast of orangish-yellow flames at Palva, who readied her lance to suck them up. However, as they drew close, she had a whiff of the flames, and she cringed. She leapt out of the way as the flames passed by her.

"Ew! That smells awful!" she exclaimed, "What did you do? Smolder those flames inside a wyvern's manure or something?!"

"I didn't expect you to catch on to those flames so quickly." Totomaru stated, "I was hoping to disarm you for a moment, but you were too fast."

Palva looked about, still seeing the ongoing viewers of the fight surrounding the two. _Dang it, I can't go all out on this guy with so many people around here! I can't afford to damage any more lives than what I have so far._

Just then, rainclouds started to form in the sky, and it began to rain upon the two. "What the… Where did this rain come from?!" Palva asked in confusion.

"I see. So Juvia arrived here." Totomaru understood, looking into the sky.

The water fountain nearby suddenly exerted some water, taking the form of the woman that captured Lucy before, Juvia. "Totomaru, we were ordered to return to headquarters, as was instructed by Master José."

"Who's the lady with the water body?!" Palva questioned.

"But what about this girl?" Totomaru questioned, "José said before that…"

"He has other plans to obtain her. For now, we must retreat." Juvia informed him.

"Hang on a moment!" Palva barked, drawing their attention, "Why the hell are you guys so transfixed on me, all of a sudden?! Is it because I fought Gajeel last night?"

"No, actually." Totomaru answered, glaring at her, "But you are a hazard that we must obtain. We will take you, the next time we meet!" He unleashed a burst of flames that consumed him and Juvia.

"Get back here!" Palva shouted, racing towards the flames and swiping it away with her lance. However, both the fire and water mage had vanished. "What's going on? Why am I a hazard they must obtain?" she asked herself. Suddenly, her eyes dilated as one idea came to mind. One horrible truth that she wished not traveled to this continent. "No…no, it can't be… Do they know?" she questioned, "This is bad. I need to find my sister!" She took off down the street, racing back to the guild hall.

* * *

" **Platre Sonata!** " " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " While Sol unleashed a giant clenched fist made of plaster at Natsu, the Dragon Slayer unleashed a fiery fist right back at the attack. Both attacks collided, and there was an explosion of rubble and flames. Natsu couldn't see through the smoke of the attack, but he could barely recognize the shadow of Sol through it.

"I gotcha now!" Natsu barked, unleashing a fiery fist straight at where he saw him. However, as soon as he made contact, it broke apart, revealing to be a fake statue of Sol. "A fake?!" Natsu gasped.

"Non non non!" echoed Sol's voice, "With regret, I must make a hasty retreat. Monsieur Gajeel might stand a chance against Salamandre, but I unfortunately am at a disadvantage."

"Get back here and tell me why you want Lucy?!" Natsu demanded harshly.

"You should ask Mademoiselle Lucy Heartfilia herself." Sol answered, "She's is the one who ran away from home, after all. We were hired by her father to bring her back, la vitesse! For now, I must bid you adieu!"

Natsu looked about, trying to sense where Sol disappeared to. However, it was pointless. The man had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

"What the heck does he mean by that?" Natsu asked, "Lucy ran away from home? I wonder why that is?" After a few seconds of difficult thinking, he grimaced as he said, "Aaah! I'll just ask Lucy when I see her again. For now, I'm gonna get back and kick Gajeel's butt!" He did a complete U-turn and ran straight back the way he came.

* * *

" **Lacrima Release: Ice!** " Dori rounded her hands in front of her as she sent icicles at Gajeel, who sliced them out of the way with his Iron Dragon's Sword.

"Is that the best you can do, sweetheart?!" he asked, slamming his blade on the ground Dori stood, while she leapt out of the way.

" **Crystal Lock!** " Dori shouted, pointing her palm to his blade, and she crystalized Gajeel's entire arm to the ground. With him momentarily defenseless, she unleashed a Crystal Barrage at where he stood, consuming in smoke. She stopped and waited for a few seconds in midair, then heard the sound of shattering crystal as Gajeel dislodged his sword hand from the lock. He leapt up after Dori, while she waved a hand to the ground, and a large obelisk of crystal suddenly shot out of the ground to be used as a foothold for her. She slipped off the side as Gajeel hammered his sword onto the crystal, causing the top to split in half with cracks. The Crystal mage summoned a multitude of crystals from the larger one like branches, landing on one of them, while Gajeel landed on a higher one.

"You're all talk, kid!" Gajeel taunted, "Do you honestly think you could defeat my iron with your crystal?"

"You still haven't answered my question before!" Dori pointed out, "Why did you try attacking Palva first?! Was it due to her age? Because that seriously means you're underestimating her."

"Why do you care about me taking out that little dragon kindle?" Gajeel questioned.

"I care because she's my sister!" Dori answered, "Now answer me!"

The news of their relationship surprised Gajeel, but he grinned as he stated, "So your that brat's older sister, huh? Well, isn't that sweet. But if you know her well, then surely you would know that she's a wanted criminal!"

Dori's eyes went into a shocked state as she realized where he was getting at, while he continued, "Turns out, she's worth quite a bit to anyone who brings her back to the Western Continent. Bet we can get a bonus if we add you to the-."

He blinked for only a second, and the atmosphere completely changed. He opened his eyes to reveal the Crystal mage directly in front of him. Not only that, but he could sense her magic energy spike up to another level. In an instant, she produced spiked crystals from her fist, slamming him hard into the ground far below.

Dori's eyes displayed no other emotion other than threatening as she hissed, "If you dare even THINK of taking my sister away, I will murder you, here and now!"

Gajeel got back up, looking up as Dori leapt down at her, producing a magic circle. The Iron Dragon Slayer suddenly got sent flying upwards from a crystal spike underneath him. Grimacing in pain, he unleashed another Iron Dragon's Club flying at Dori, who waved her hand, causing two more crystals to form on the obelisk next to her, criss-crossing in front of her to block the attack.

She slammed her palms into the crystal X she formed, causing a spike to shoot from the center, hitting Gajeel as he went on the defensive. She then slammed her palms again on the crystal, jettisoning the large crystal off with a Crystal Launcher, pushing Gajeel back to the ground once more.

 _What the hell is this?!_ Gajeel questioned, getting back up again to see Dori land on the ground, still livid with anger at him, _Her magic energy just spiked, and now she's totally pushing me around like some tin can! This ain't natural. No matter, cause I'm gonna put her down, here and now!_

" **Iron Dragon's Roar!** " he shouted, unleashing his metallic breath attack at Dori, who summoned two Crystal Walls in front of her. " **Lacrima Release: Fire!** " she chanted, forming magic energy into her hands, then slamming it into the crystal, " **Crystal Deity…** " Her crystals suddenly became red and burning with an intense aura, " **…Logi!** " Her crystals grew hot as they not only stopped the roar attack, but even melted it upon impact.

"What?!" Gajeel gasped, shocked to see his attack stopped by Fire magic. Dori didn't even stop, as she stomped on the ground, launching the crystal fire wall out of the ground, then with a magic circle from her palm, she shot the wall to Gajeel, who was too petrified to move, and ended up getting hit by a fiery explosion of crystal.

Dori stood there, her eyes not wavering from the spot her attack made contact. When Gajeel reappeared, parts of his clothes were burned away or singed, while his body seemed singed and bruised, as well.

"You still hadn't figured out she's off limits?!" Dori demanded.

"Sorry, missy. That ain't my call." Gajeel grimaced, rising to his feet, "For all I care, she's just a minor version of Salamander that deserves a beat down. But José's calling the shots, so one way or another, she'll be coming with us!" Dori gritted her teeth as she readied to draw out more punishment onto Gajeel.

Suddenly, a figure appeared right behind Gajeel, and a large, massive, tanned man appeared, wearing a dark green cap and a blindfold. He also wore a large green trench coat with a high collar, an orange loose shirt underneath with a thick collar wrapping around his neck, dark red and white-trimmed pants, sandals, a red necklace with a blindfolded skull in the center, and a wide, purple and white-trimmed stole hanging over him.

"Gajeel, you look like you're in a tough battle here." he stated, "It's so sad to see."

"Aria. You're eerie as usual." Gajeel stated, looking behind him.

 _Another member of Phantom, I bet._ Dori assumed, _By the feeling I'm getting, he might be one of their better fighters._

"So, what's happening at the guild hall? Have those fairies been taught a lesson?" Gajeel asked.

"Their master has fallen. I've drained him of his magic." Aria explained, and he started to cry, "It's so sad! So very sad! They're retreating because they don't stand a chance!"

"What?!" Dori gasped. Master Makarov was defeated by this guy?

"Why are you crying?" Gajeel questioned him, "You took care of the master, and those fairy scum are falling back! Great job on your side, and I'd say this is a victory for us."

"It was all Master José's plan." Aria answered, and he cried, "But…thank-thank you!"

"Stop crying over every single thing! It's annoying!" Gajeel growled, then he asked with a grin, "And what about those to girl's, Lucy and Palva? Did we get them?" Dori seemed shocked at hearing Lucy's name in their conversation.

"With sadness, I regret to inform you she had escaped Sol's grasp thanks to Salamander." Aria answered, "And Totomaru was not able to apprehend Palva, either. It's so, so sad!" He burst into tears once more.

"So these chumps managed to get away with our two targets, huh? Guess they got lucky, this time around." Gajeel snickered, "Master José won't be pleased about this."

"I get why you're after Palva, but why Lucy, too?!" Dori demanded, "I demand some answers, now!" She unleashed a Crystal Cataclysm, sending a row of spikes at the two. Aria then concentrated the air in front of him, producing a blast of energy that stopped Dori's attack.

"Let's settle this another day, girly! Same goes for those two Salamanders!" Gajeel told her with a smirk, "You may have gotten lucky today, but it won't happen again! We will get those two girls from you fairies, even if we have to pry them from your smashed bodies!" Aria waved a hand right next to Gajeel, and the two vanished from sight.

Dori glared at the spot they disappeared from for a few seconds, then she sighed in slight exhaustion. "Man, I went a bit overboard on fighting him." she muttered, looking at her hand, "I shouldn't push myself that far unless I did THAT. Still though, this isn't good. Master Makarov was beaten, and we know who they're targeting among us. And worst of all…" she clenched her fist, not saying the rest of the sentence.

"Dori!" cried a voice from above. She looked up to see none other than Happy and Lucy flying down to meet her.

"Happy! Lucy!" Dori greeted as Happy gently placed Lucy on the ground, "Where's Natsu?"

"He should be coming, soon." Happy answered, "We had to get away from this creepy guy who was part of the Element 4." Lucy looked down, saddened by what had just transpired.

"GAJEEL!" roared the said Salamander's voice. They all turned to see Natsu charging back to their position. At the same time, Palva was finally in sight as she joined the group as well.

"Wait, what's Lucy doing here?" Palva asked, seeing the blonde among them.

"Never mind that. Where's Gajeel?!" Natsu demanded, looking about, "Don't tell me you already took care of him!"

"Regrettably, no." Dori answered, "Some guy picked him up, but not before telling that Fairy Tail is retreating. Apparently, Master Makarov has been defeated."

"What?!" Natsu gasped, "There's no way Gramps could be beaten like that!"

"I'm saying what I heard from the guy, okay?!" Dori barked back, silencing him. Natsu and Happy seemed a bit startled at his sudden outburst from her, since it was rare to see her get so angry like that. She calmed herself as she said, "Sorry. That Gajeel guy got under my skin, that's all…"

"They know, don't they?" Palva asked, drawing her attention to see Palva's sad expression, "They know…about me, don't they?" Dori seemed surprised to know she figured it out, too. Regrettably, she nodded in answer, causing her to look even more worried than before.

"What do you mean, they know about you?" Natsu asked, confused.

"It's…it's nothing…" Dori answered, "For now, we should consider ourselves lucky it wasn't worse. Let's join everyone back at the guild, for now. We need to see how everyone's doing."

"Are you kidding me?!" Natsu questioned, "We're right by their guild hall! And their headquarters is not too far off, either!"

"But if everyone's retreating, we should follow after them." Dori retorted, "It would be reckless to go in by ourselves."

"That's because they got scared!" Natsu barked back, "I'm not afraid of such guys at all!"

As Dori and Happy tried to reason with Natsu about retreating, Palva, still worried, looked to Lucy, seeing her sad expression on her face. Her eyes were shadowed from view, but tears were forming in the Celestial mage's eyes.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Palva asked, fighting back her worries for the moment. This stopped the argument from the other three.

"I'm…I'm sorry." Lucy sobbed, thinking on everything that happened because of Phantom Lord, and knowing that it was because they were hired by her father to take her back, "All of this… It's all my fault. Even so, I still want to be in the Guild…" She looked to the team, and they all saw the tears pouring down her face as she finished, "I love Fairy Tail!"

Palva's eyes widened at this. Lucy's love for the guild rang into her heart, and it made her understand that she, herself was also glad to be part of Fairy Tail. True, she had Leon, Pastry and her sister, but ever since Galuna Island, she could feel the place where she belonged was right here, in this guild. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Happy. They were all people she could get along with. And yet…

"H-Hey! What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Natsu asked Lucy as she continued to cry. "Lucy…" Happy muttered.

Dori knelt down next to Lucy and, with her motherly instincts kicking in again, wrapped a hand around her shoulders, pulling her in. "I don't know what happened to you to think like this, nor why Phantom Lord wanted you in the first place. But know this; the one place you are welcomed the most, and where you love the most, IS your home. Don't think for a second you have to leave it."

Lucy looked to Dori with tear-strained eyes, the words touching her heart. Then she buried her face into Dori's chest, while the Crystal mage patted her back, assuring her things were gonna be alright. Although, this was just one half of her that was acting right now. The other half was filled with worry for her sister.

"Natsu, let's go back to the guild." Happy told the Dragon Slayer. "Sure, I guess we have to." Natsu answered, rubbing the back of his head.

Dori helped Lucy to her feet, and she started to carry her down the hill towards the town, while Natsu, Happy and Palva walked from behind. From further off, the rest of Fairy Tail, most of which were injured, retreated from the Phantom Lord guild, with Leon and Erza in the lead, and Elfman carrying the weakened Master.

As they ran off, Natsu looked to Palva, and saw her eyes shadowed from view. Yet even so, he could see the tears trickling down her face. "Why are you crying, too, Palva?" Natsu asked her.

"It's…nothing…" Palva sobbed, wiping her face with her free hand. Dori looked back at her as they walked, seeing her little sister's face. It was mixed with complete worry and sadness, her teeth gritting as she tried to hold back her tears.

 _I want a home, too._ she thought to herself, _I thought I found one with Fairy Tail. But if…if they found out about who I am, and what I have as a burden besides my flames, they will no longer want to keep me around. They'll…they'll betray me. They'll give me away. I'll be alone again!_

* * *

Inside the headquarters of Phantom Lord, the Element 4 and Gajeel gave their reports to what had transpired in the recent battle. The master of Phantom Lord, José, was a tall, slim man with straight reddish-black hair, hidden by a purple witch-like hat, and a small mustache. His attire was a mixture between a sorcerer and a jester. He wore a flamboyant purple and pink-trimmed coat, with bat wings in the back, a plain shirt underneath, with the Mage Saint's medallion around his neck, red ribbons tied to it, red-striped pants, white socks, and pointed shoes with cotton balls at the toes.

"I see. So neither one of our targets were captured and brought here." José understood.

"Maîtriser José, with deep regret, I do sincerely apologize for my hasty retreat!" Sol apologized, "But Salamander was an incredibly difficult person to deal with."

"In addition, that Palva is a difficult opponent to fight against, too." Totomaru added, "She did hold back her flames at me, but still, she did prove to be a troublesome adversary."

"How sad!" Aria sobbed, "Even if we defeated their master, our lack of retrieving either target considers this a failure. It's truly heart-breaking!"

"I do regret this, as well." Juvia finished, "I might've subdued Palva myself with my Water magic. But I was so focused on our master's orders, I didn't think about trying to obtain the Fire Demon myself."

"Get real, you guys! You could've taken care of those two pyro pushovers, no problem!" Gajeel accused them, "Meanwhile, I had to deal with that girl's older sister. As much as I hate to admit this, she might be as strong as Titania. She's a real piece of work."

"Interesting. So these new mages are a troublesome bunch, are they?" José questioned, "Well, it doesn't matter to me. Even if we weren't able to capture them today, we can always get them tomorrow. And when we next meet, it will be the last day Fairy Tial will ever see…"

He walked forward, his body emanating a darkened aura that seemed like death would come upon his opponents. "You would be wise, children of Makarov. Phantom Lord will return to the top once more, and Fairy Tail will be squashed beneath our feet again! And there's nothing you can do to stop us!"

* * *

 **So that's the attack on Phantom Lord! I decided to change it a lot to focusing the battles more on Palva, Natsu and Dori against Gajeel and the Element 4. I hope people liked the twist to the battle. I even decided to allow Totomaru, who was the only one of the Element 4 not to appear during that attack. I felt he needed some screen time, so I gave him an opportunity against Palva. Still, this will not be the last time the two encounter one another, so there is that.  
**

 **I also decided on giving Pastry at least a bit of a chance to shine by trying to save Lucy in Magnolia, only to be struck down by Juvia. Now, we wonder what kind of an impact he will have in the next chapter.**

 **And now I left you with a hint on why Palva is afraid of guilds, as she is a wanted character. But there is more to it than just that. You'll see in the next chapter, too. And whatever you do, do not anger Dori. The older Himeka sister just showed Gajeel what happens when you mess with her family.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter. Leave a review, and I hope to update soon. It might not happen this week, as I am very busy with work and with the 2017 Denver Comic-Con approaching. I'll get to meet Christopher Sabat, the dubbed voice of Zoro from One Piece, as well as the voice of Elfman! I'm meeting a real man! See you guys later!**


	8. The 800 Million Jewel Girl

PREVIOUSLY ON FAIRY TAIL:

After the Iron Dragon Slayer of Phantom Lord, Gajeel, attacked Levy and team Shadow Gear, Fairy Tail went to war against the rival guild, and took the fight to their guild. However, this was part of Phantom Lord's plan to capture two of the guild members; Lucy and Palva.

Lucy, back in Magnolia, was kidnapped by two of the Element 4, Sol and Juvia, despite Pastry's efforts to save her. Palva, who was in the midst of the fight, ended up sent flying by Gajeel, and got into a battle with another member of the Element 4, Totomaru. During that, Natsu tracked down Lucy and saved her from Sol before she got taken to the master of Phantom Lord, José. Dori fought Gajeel, discovering that they were after Palva because of a secret they held from the members of Fairy Tail.

Despite the trio holding their own against the Element 4 and even beating Gajeel to a pulp, Master Makarov ended up defeated by the hands of the fourth member of the Element 4, Aria, and some of the guild members ended up pretty banged up, forcing a retreat. Palva and Lucy were safe and protected by the guild, but José will not stop until he has both of them in his grasp, and Fairy Tail crushed underneath his feet.

* * *

Within the East Forest laid a lone treehouse, where an old woman resided in. Her name was Porlyusica. She was a gifted healer, especially in magical illnesses, but a hater of violence of humanity. As such, she lives alone, far from Magnolia. However, she still has a dedication to Fairy Tail, so when the gun duo of Fairy Tail, Bisca and Alzack, along with Leon, brought Master Makarov to her, she went to work on figuring out how to heal him.

For a while, the trio watched as Porlyusica was analyzing his condition, looking through the concoctions she developed to find a cure for him. Finally, she stepped in front of the master, residing in the patient's bed, stared at him for a few seconds, then gave him a smack across the face.

"What did you do that for?!" Alzack demanded. "How could you do that to the master… I mean an injured person!" Bisca accused.

"This is the result of him being reckless despite his age." Porlyusica calmly answered, "Honestly, what a fool…" She looked at him for a second, then angrily turned to the mages, demanding, "How long were you planning on staying here?! Go home already!"

The gunner duo got scared, while Leon remained neutral as he asked, "We just want to know what his condition is. If anything, we would like to help him recover quickly."

Porlyusica looked at Leon with a peculiar glare, as if questioning his words and his presence here without saying anything. Finally, she answered, "There's nothing you can do but leave. Being surrounded by fretful faces is the worst poison to a sick man."

She looked back at Makarov as she started, "This is from advanced wind magic, isn't it? My guess is the spell 'Drain'. In other words, it dries you out. It's a fearsome magic that forces the target's magical power to discharge. The discharged magical power floats about in the air and vanishes. If Makarov's magical power was recollected then, he could have recovered quickly. But as things stand, it will take longer…"

"How long will it take?" Alzack asked her. "Everyone would like to know that." Bisca added.

She didn't respond to the question, but angrily demanded, "You're still here?!"

"D-Didn't you want us to stay and listen?!" a terrified Alzack questioned.

Porlyusica grabbed a broom and started swinging it angrily at them, while shouting, "Of course not, now get out! I can't stand the stench of humans!"

Leon suddenly grabbed her broom in mid-swing, giving her a warning glare. "I don't care for your stupid dislikes, old lady." he growled, "The fact is that he is our master, and we worry for him. So give us straight answers without all this drama, okay?"

Porlyusica glared right back at him, while Bisca and Alzack were scared at his daring to confront the healer. Finally, she raised a hand, and tugged his ear downward, causing Leon pain and to let go of her broom.

"Did you honestly forgotten that I don't like being called 'old lady', boy?" she questioned, releasing him and turning away, "Or is your memory that badly damaged, that you have forgotten?"

Leon massaged his ear as he looked up at her, asking in a confused manner, "What the heck are you talking about? Have we met before?"

Porlyusica looked back at him again, understanding his condition, too, as she said, "So you really have forgotten who you were before? What horror did you witness that made you forget so much of your life?"

Leon stopped massaging his ear as he looked at her in a surprised manner. Bisca and Alzack were also surprised by this revelation. Did Porlyusica really know Leon?

"How do you know me?" the swordsman asked, "If you know about who I was before, then please let me know! I've been trying to find out who I was for the past two years."

"Let me ask you something first." the healer retorted, "Can you tell me your name?" "It's Leon Daywing."

"Are you sure?" she asked him, "Because the last time we met, you addressed yourself as Azure Cleaver."

"Azure…Cleaver?" Leon questioned. He thought about the name, but didn't so much as feel a thing from it. Was she getting the wrong person, or was the memory of the name not that important to recollect anything.

Porlyusica watched his expression for a while, then she sighed, "Maybe I was mistaken. Or perhaps it was something else. Either way, you three are distracting me from taking care of Makarov. Now get out of here."

Leon looked at her for a moment, then turned to Bisca and Alzack as he said, "She's right. Let's leave her to the master. We'll inform everyone what she has told us, okay?" The two of them nodded in agreement.

As they left, Leon looked back at the healer as he warned her, "I will come back to check up on him. If nothing else, to learn more of this 'Azure Cleaver'." He closed the door behind him, leaving Porlyusica alone with Makarov.

She looked at the door for a second, then decided to dismiss the thought of Leon from her mind as she turned back to Makarov. _You've always needed looking after…_ she thought to herself, _For a mage, magical power is equivalent to their life force. The greater one's magical power, the more agonizing effect Drain would have on them. If you don't fight with all you got, this might just be your death bed. You really are such a pig-headed old fool._

* * *

Back at the Fairy Tail guild hall, everyone was gathered back in the basement, since the upper floors were still not completely safe to be at. While most of them were grimacing in pain and at the fact they had to retreat, others were preparing for a second bombardment against Phantom Lord, from examining maps of the enemy territory, to setting up lacrima and tomes for equipment.

Lucy was sitting on a barrel, with Natsu, Happy, Elfman and Gray surrounding her watching everyone prep and recover. Dori was also with them, having found Pastry in the streets after his attempted escape with Lucy before. They bandaged him up, and he was doing a bit better than before. Erza was in the showers, washing herself off and giving herself time to think. Palva disappeared into town the moment everyone arrived.

As soon as they got back, Lucy explained to them the truth about herself; She was the daughter of a rich family known as the Heartfilia family. Her mother died when she was young, and she was left with no one but her father and the servants to take care of her. However, a year ago, she ran away from home because she couldn't stand living in the house with her greedy and work-obsessive father. Now, her past was catching up to her again, with her father the one who hired Phantom Lord to bring her back.

Gray looked to Lucy, seeing the depressed manner on her face. "What's the matter? Still anxious?" he asked.

Lucy sighed as she looked down, her eyes wavering as she muttered, "No. That's not it. It's just…all my fault."

"Well, rich ladies are destined to be targets." Elfman stated bluntly, "And real men are destined to protect them, like me!"

"Don't say things like that!" Gray hissed back at him.

"I gotta say, I was shocked to hear about this." Happy stated.

"Seriously, to think you're part of one of them rich families." Pastry added, looking to her, "You really you really made fools out of us for hiding it."

"Pastry, that's pretty rude of you to say that!" Dori accused him, turning to Lucy, "Still, why did you hide it from everyone?"

"I didn't mean to hide anything." Lucy defended herself, "But I was running away from home, it's not something I can talk about easily. I've been gone for a year, and my father hasn't cared one bit. Now, he suddenly wants me back? My father did all this just to get me back… He's despicable!"

She clenched her fists, angry at her father as she continued, "Then again, it's probably my fault for running away from home, right?"

"Come on, don't be ridiculous!" Elfman retorted, "Your old man is the one to blame…" "Idiot!" Gray barked at him, causing Elfman to realize the mistake in his words and re-corrected, "I mean, it was Phantom's fault!"

"I never thought that my selfish actions could cause this much trouble for everyone." Lucy sobbed, "I'm so, so sorry. If I just go home, that would end this, right?"

"I don't know about that." Natsu retorted, getting her attention, "I mean, 'Rich lady' doesn't really suit you, does it? Laughing at this filthy bar, or kicking up a fuss on adventures; that sounds more like the Lucy I know."

"It's like I told you before; the place where you are loved the most, and where you can find the most joy in, is your home." Dori reminded her, "Why go back to a place where you had neither one of those things?" Lucy's eyes widened at this question.

"Who are you trying to kid? You're Lucy of Fairy Tail." Natsu finished, poking a thumb at himself, "This is where you belong!"

Lucy looked to Natsu, her eyes watering up, causing tears to fall down her face. "Don't cry, geez…" Gray muttered, "That's unlike you."

"Yeah, please!" a worried Elfman moaned, "Real men are weak to womanly tears."

Dori looked to Lucy, smiling a bit at the fact people were really caring for her enough to still keep her about despite the situation she brought in. She then looked to Pastry, who looked back up at her. Their situation, or rather Palva's situation, was a lot deeper than Lucy's. It was more dangerous to the guild, and more dangerous to themselves, as well.

"What about you guys?" Natsu asked, approaching Dori and Pastry, "By the sound of things, it seems like Lucy wasn't the only one who was targeted. Palva seemed to be a target, as well, is that right?"

Dori could've lied and said that it was all a misunderstanding. However, they knew the truth was drawing closer and closer for them to realize, so instead, she nodded in response.

"But why would they need to target her, too?" Gray asked, "Unless they were hired, just like Lucy's father, to get her."

"That's not exactly the truth." Dori answered, looking down.

"Well then, what is?" Natsu asked, "Do you know why they would go after Palva?"

"I do." Dori answered, not showing any emotion in her voice, "I know exactly why they would go after her. However, the reason is something I can't say."

"Come on. Why not?" Natsu asked with a slightly intrigued tone. "BECAUSE I SAID NO!" Dori barked, interrupting Natsu and drawing the attention of practically everyone in the basement.

Dori gritted her teeth, restraining herself from going overboard. She took a few breaths to calm herself, then she continued, "Listen, we have our reasons from not telling you guys. Because once you find out about it… We won't be able to stay in this guild anymore."

"You won't be able to stay in this guild?" Happy asked, surprised, "But why?"

Dori paused for a moment, thinking on the right response before answering, "There's a reason why Palva hates magic guilds. All of the guilds we have met up till now were nothing like yours. You guys welcomed us in with open arms, and were kind enough to allow us to join you on that quest before. We've seen from people like Natsu, Happy and Lucy just how much you do care for people, no matter who or what they are. I've never seen Palva with so much hope."

She looked directly at Natsu and the others as she finished, "But it's only due to the fact that you guys are ignorant to the truth of who she is. At what her cursed magic caused her. At the amount of suffering she had to deal, and what I've watched transpire. That's why…for the sake of our friendship, and the sake of us being part of your family, we will keep this secret for as long as we can!"

Everyone watched Dori glaring at Natsu with conviction. She was that desperate to keep her sister's secret, so willing to have her sister be happy and be part of this guild, that she was willing to lie and withhold something that deep and dangerous from them. But even though she made her point, there was something that was uncontrollable and capable of compromising the secret.

"You do know that if Phantom strikes again, and they know Fairy Tail hasn't a clue about it, that they WILL reveal why they are capturing Palva." Pastry notified Dori, "It's only a matter of time until they do learn the truth."

"I…I know…" Dori muttered, looking away, "And when it does, it's gonna hurt Palva the worst. Because for once in her life, she thought…she found a place to belong… As did I…"

Natsu frowned at this, while Happy and Lucy both looked worried. Gray and Elfman looked to one another, then back at Dori and Pastry. The moment of unveiling was unavoidable. But for now, they wouldn't say anything.

* * *

Up in the hills closer to the East Forest, Palva was sitting underneath a tree, her Dragonic Fang held at an angle, with the tip pointing at the tree behind her. Her eyes were shadowed from view, and she was biting her lower lip. In regards to physical injuries, she had none. However, the emotional state she was in was a different stories. Memories sprouted back up in her head. The echoes of so many people suddenly resurfaced from the back of her mind into her ears.

 _"It's her! The Fire Demon!"_

 _"She could kill us all! Someone kill her!"_

 _"If we get her bounty, we won't have to worry about going on guild requests for the rest of our lives!"_

 _"By the authority of the Alvarez Empire, we are arresting you, Palva Himeka!"_

 _"Keep away from my sister! She's innocent of all of this!"_

 _"Get out of our town, and never return!"_

Palva tightened her grip on her lance as she stood up. Then, without warning, she swerved about and sliced the tree behind her. There was a second pause, then the top part of the tree slid off at an angle, and collapsed to the ground.

Her eyes were completely filled with hopelessness and rage. She wished it hadn't traveled to this continent, but it did. The news traveled to the ears of Phantom Lord, and now, they are trying to shatter everything she had been praying for since all of this started.

She roared in anguish as she dropped her lance and hammered the ground, pounding it over and over again. Her body started to grow flames once more, but she didn't care. In fact, if she were to burn away right now, it would be for the best of everyone. Rather that than to have her heart broken once more when Fairy Tail turns on her.

In the distance, Leon, Bisca and Alzack were coming out of the forest from Porlyusica. They heard the cries of agony, and turned to see Palva far from them, hammering the ground as she broke it apart, her body igniting in flames.

"What's going on?!" Alzack asked, startled. "Why is she burning up like that?" Bisca questioned.

"Damn it!" Leon growled, turning to the gunner duo, "Go to the guild hall and tell them about Porlyusica's report. I'll handle this." The two looked to one another, understood he could take care of it, and left him alone.

He started racing over to Palva's side, Requipping into his Flame Emperor Armor as he did so. When he got close to her, Palva had burned away a ten meter radius of grass about her, and her flames were drawing closer to the forest.

"Palva, you have to calm down!" Leon ordered, getting in close and picking up her lance, "Here. Take your lance, and take a breather!"

"No!" she barked back, whacking away the lance from her, "I can't stand it anymore! I can't stand living in this life! People see me as a threat or a get-rich quick scheme! I'm a complete burden to all of you! I want it to end! The pain and misery! Just let me die!" Her flames combusted more and more, causing Leon to falter back a bit, but he regained himself.

"Do you really think we would spend all this time by your side if we didn't endure all that you've been through?!" he demanded, "Do you really think your sister would want to kill yourself after spending a decade trying to find a way for you to control your flames?!"

Palva's eyes flashed as she recalled everything that they had been through once more, only recalling flashbacks of her time with Dori, who always managed a smile despite the tough times they went through, who put her whole heart into studying and improving her magic, while doing her best being the best sister she could be.

Then when Leon and Pastry joined their side, they suddenly found themselves having more of a reason to keep going. They weren't scared of Palva, nor did they have greed in their hearts. They joined their side just because they saw someone who needed help. Suddenly, their joy increased because they had someone else other than one another to endure everything.

Finally, she recalled meeting Natsu, Happy and Lucy, followed by Gray and Erza, and everything they went through on Galuna Island. The times where they were able to laugh together, fight together, be in one another's company without fear or greed separating them. She recalled Natsu's grin as she decided to join Fairy Tail, recalling how happy he was at her decision, and how everyone else welcomed her and her friends and family into their guild.

Panting heavily, she saw her Dragonic Fang stretched out towards her. She took the lance, and the flames dissipated. She was still on her hands and knees as she tried to get ahold of herself. Leon watched her as he reverted back to his normal garbs. For a moment, it was nothing but panting and sizzling from the ground. Then, something else was added to the set of sounds; sobs from Palva.

"I…I don't know what to do!" she cried, "I know they'll soon find out about me and what I am in Alakitasia. That Phantom Lord guild figured it out, so it's only a matter of time before Fairy Tail learns, too. And when that happens, they'll no longer see me as an ally. And when they do…"

Leon seemed a bit hesitant, but he wrapped his arm around Palva, drawing her in close. "When that happens, it happens." he told her, "We don't know how they'll respond. But remember that there are some good people among them, like Natsu and Lucy. Erza may be a pain at times, but we can at least get along with her. Don't you realize we were able to make friends like them? And who knows; they might understand if you tell them the truth."

Palva sniffed as she stifled her crying, turning to Leon. "I know that Natsu…cares for me, as well as all those other guys. But what about the rest of the guild? Will they still accept me? Will they not give into their fear or greed? Will they bear the burden of having me around?"

Leon remained quiet. He didn't have an answer to that. He couldn't, as he didn't know them well enough. He knew that Elfman and Mirajane were at least alright people, but as for everyone else, he had no say for them. He didn't know what was gonna be the outcome from all of this.

Just then, Palva's ears perked up. She heard footsteps. Massive footsteps on the water. Based on the direction, of the sound, it came from the waters near the Guild. She turned, and was shocked at a sight she did not think was real.

"Palva, what's wrong?" Leon asked. She didn't answer, but he followed her gaze, and was introduced to a shocking sight as well.

* * *

Inside the guild hall, everyone felt the ground shaking about them, questioning what the hell was happening. Alzack and Bisca arrived on the scene as the male of the two exclaimed, "OUTSIDE!"

Everyone raced out of the basement of the guild hall, and scurried themselves outside to witness a terrifying sight. Erza also joined the rest of the guild, wearing nothing but a wrapped towel around her body, and stood petrified as the rest.

"What the hell is that?!" Natsu exclaimed. "I think it should be obvious what we're looking at!" Pastry pointed out.

"It…a mobile fortress!" Dori gasped. Indeed, it was a monstrous piece of land, with a large building on top of it, and six mechanical feet moving it along the water. From what they could tell, it was more than likely a guild hall.

"That guild is walking!" Happy exclaimed. "Is it Phantom?!" Loke gasped. From what they could see, there was an emblem of the Phantom Lord guild on top of it, answering his question.

"Guys!" roared a male voice. Palva and Leon soon joined the group as they looked at the oncoming fortress.

"How do we fight that thing?!" Wakaba asked in a terrified manner. No one had an answer.

"I-It's beyond my expectations…" Erza muttered, "I never thought they'd attack this way!"

The walking fortress suddenly came to a halt, resting the body of the fortress into the water. It was as if a large, sinister insect bared down on the minuscule guild, ready to strike. How they were gonna strike was the question. Their answer; a part of the guild building slid down, and out came the barrel of a massive cannon, pointing directly at the guild. Before anyone could question what it was gonna do, the barrel of the cannon suddenly started to charge up with intense magical power.

"This is bad!" Erza gasped, whipping her hand to everyone, "Everyone, take cover!" By the size of the charging magical energy, they could see that running now would be pointless. The destruction would be too massive.

Suddenly, Erza and Leon charged in simultaneously, with Erza's towel flying off of her in her dash. "Erza! Leon!" Mirajane cried. "What're you two planning to do?!" Macao demanded.

"What's it look like?!" Leon retorted, "We're stopping the attack!" Erza's body glowed brightly as Leon's arms glowed as well, readying the gauntlets of the Herculean God Armor.

Erza and Leon stood next to one another, with Erza in a new armor, which looked heavily armored with silver and dark grey metal, and twin halls of a large shield in front of her. Leon raised his hands in front of him as a magic circle appeared, and a massive kite shield, dark grey and gold framed, came forth, slamming the tip on the ground.

"You're not touching the Guild!" Erza roared. "If you want to destroy them, you'd best take your chances on us!" Leon declared, grasping the handle of the shield in both hands.

"That's the Adamantine Armor!" Happy noticed Erza's armor. "And that's the Gigas Shield!" Pastry added.

"Are they planning to take it head on?!" Bisca questioned in shock.

"That armor has superior defensive powers, but still…!" Alzack explained Erza's armor.

"And that shield is made with a special metal that can cancel magic spells!" Pastry added. "It's so heavy, though, that it requires incredible strength just to wield it!"

"Stop it, you two!" Wakaba barked, "You'll die!"

"Dori, lock me in!" Leon demanded. "But Leon…!" the Crystal mage started, desperate for him to reconsider. "Do it!" Leon barked.

Dori seemed hesitant, but she decided to put her faith in him and Erza as she waved her hand forward, shouting, " **Crystal Lock!** " Leon's feet and legs were suddenly encased in crystal, providing a strong foothold for him.

"Take cover!" Erza demanded to her guild mates.

"Erza!" "Leon!" Both Natsu and Palva were desperate to come to their rescue, but Gray and Dori held them back.

"Natsu! Palva! We can only believe in them!" Gray told the two. Lucy was just petrified at the pair's daring.

The giant cannon suddenly fired the blast at the guild. Erza formed her shield, including a large magic circle in front of her. Leon roared as he raised the shield, and it glowed with energy. Both fighters took the full blow of the attack as they desperately held their ground against the attack. Everyone behind them were either bracing themselves against the shockwave of the attack, or in the twin Fire Dragon Slayer's case, trying desperately to get the the two. Leon and Erza braced themselves with all they had against the attack, but Erza's armor was starting to crack from the pressure, while the ridges of Leon's shield started to crack as well, as well as the crystal at his feet. "Come on!" Leon growled through gritted teeth. The more the energy blast came at them, the more the two's armor started to crack and break apart. Erza's, particularly, was breaking apart more.

Leon looked to Erza, seeing she was barely at her last legs. Looking at the attack ahead of him, he decided to go for one last desperate push. He reeled his fist back on his shield, shouting, "Enough!", and punched the shield with all his gauntlet's strength could unleash. The shield was shoved forward enough for him to unleash another punch with his other gauntlet, sending it flying forward, merging with Erza's magic circle. His crystalized legs and feet gave way as he rushed to Erza in an instant, pulling her back as the Gigas Shield took the last of the attack before shattering apart.

He and Erza were sent flying from the last bit of the shockwave, Erza's armor and shield barely surviving the attack, but it was cracked and broken in several different places. Leon used his body as a brace, putting Erza on top of him as they skidded along the ground, coming to a halt near their shocked guild mates. Erza rolled off of him, her body glowing as she reverted to her standard clothing, face-down in the ground as she panted heavily. Leon also breathing hard as he squinted with one eye, seeing the groove on the ground, left by the cannon attack.

"A-Amazing…" Macao gasped, "They actually stopped it!"

"Those to have to be the manliest pairing in the guild." Elfman muttered.

Pastry, Natsu and Dori raced to the two's side, the two reaching down to them. "Erza, Leon, hang in there!" Natsu told the two, crouching next to Erza.

"Don't worry. Leon's Gigas Shield took the final blow of the attack." Pastry informed him, "They barely managed to make it out of there alive, and they used up so much magic, too!"

"You gonna hold out okay, Leon?" Dori asked, raising him up. He didn't have the breath for words, but he nodded to her in response. He looked to Erza, who looked up at him, exhausted from the usage of so much magic energy.

"Makarov has fallen, and now Titania and that young man have been incredibly weakened." the voice of José spoke up through the loudspeaker of the Phantom Lord guild. All of the guild glared at the location of the voice, while Leon and Erza desperately struggled to rise up to their hands and knees.

"You have no chance for victory now." José continued, "Hand over Lucy Heartfilia and Palva Himeka, right now." Lucy and Palva both looked scared and worried at what he was demanding.

"That's not gonna happen!" Alzack barked.

"There isn't a guild that would present a member of their's to a monster like you!" Bisca added.

"Lucy and Palva are both our comrades!" Macao declared. Many of the guild members shouted their agreement to the three's statements. Lucy looked worried, while Palva looked scared.

"You dare call me a monster, when there's one among your group?" José hissed. Palva's eyes flashed as some of guild members looked confused at the Phantom Lord master's statement.

After a brief pause to notice some confusing, José asked, "Are you telling me you allowed her to join without knowing? Well then, let me enlighten you…"

 _No…_ Dori thought to herself, her pupils wavering, _Is he going to say it now?!_

"The girl known as Palva is a dangerous criminal in the Western Continent." José began, causing the guild mates to give shocked looks as they looked to the Dragon Slayer in question, "She has destroyed villages, towns, even a large city! The countless lives she burned away have reached the thousands. She has been labeled as one of the most dangerous young mages in their land. She is the 'Fire Demon' Palva Himeka, and she has an 800 million jewel bounty on her head!"

The entire guild looked from all around at Palva, who stood there, her hand gripping hard onto the lance, her body vibrating. Dori, Leon and Pastry all looked at her with complete worry. Those closest to Palva in the guild, like Natsu and Lucy, were petrified to know of this hidden truth, and of what she was worth. Her secret has been revealed to the entire guild. There was no way to fake it.

"So I demand it once more: Surrender Lucy and Palva over to me, now!" José demanded once more.

Nobody moved, but continued to look at Palva. Her eyes started to water, and tears started to pour down her cheeks. _It's over…_ she thought to herself, _They all know about me, now. There's no way they're gonna let me be part of their guild anymore, now that they know I'm such a high-bountied criminal. I'll have to leave again…_

Lucy looked to Palva as well. True, she was demanded alongside her, and her situation was bad, as well. However, after hearing about Palva's identity in the Western Continent, she suddenly saw her situation and consequences minuscule compared to her's. She also knew why Dori said such things in the guild moments ago. The question of whether both of them were that important to the guild remained still in the air. Or was it better for the two of them two turn themselves in to save the guild.

"We'd rather die than sell out our comrades!" Erza roared, "I don't care even for who Palva is to the other continents!" Palva and Lucy looked to Erza's declaration.

"If you don't know what people have struggled with to bring them trouble, then why the hell should we give them to you?!" Leon demanded, "You will not take Lucy or Palva, and that's final!" The rest of the guild shouted in agreement to his statement.

"Our answer will not change, no matter what happens!" Natsu bellowed, "We're taking everyone of you jerks down!"

The declaration of the guild amazed Dori, while it moved Lucy to tears. Never, in her life, has she had so much support and care from so many people. She was loved by all these people, and was grateful to be part of it. Palva was slightly moved by this declaration as well. And yet, there was still doubt in her heart. Doubt that everyone here was truly honest with protecting her.

Inside the Phantom Lord guild, José was extremely angered by Fairy Tail's resistance against his demands. They saw what he was capable of, and knew they could not pull off a defense like before. Yet even so, they resisted. "IF THAT'S THE CASE, I'LL FEED YOU AN EXTRA LARGE BLAST OF JUPITER!" he roared, "YOU HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES TO PONDER THE FOLLY OF YOUR ACTIONS!"

This threat caused the Fairy Tail mages to silent down, realizing that they were in trouble now. There was no way they could survive a second volley of that attack. Erza was barely able to stand, and Leon was barely doing better. It was thanks to them that they were able to survive.

Natsu growled angrily as he glared up at the cannon. "Natsu…" Palva spoke up, getting his attention. He turned to see her standing right behind him, a saddened look on her face.

"Don't worry about a thing, Palva." Natsu assured her, "You ain't going with them!"

"I appreciate the sediment, and I do believe you would protect me despite this." Palva muttered, her eyes shadowing from view, "But even so…all he said was true." Natsu, Happy, Erza, and the approaching Gray, Lucy and Strauss siblings approached her, while Leon, Dori and Pastry remained silent to all of this.

"I destroyed so many homes, and I killed so many people with my flames." Palva explained, "But…I never meant any of it. When I lose control of my flames, I cannot stop them from causing such disasters. I have been cursed with flames that cannot be quelled by my own powers. These flames have caused so much pain and anguish to so many people, and all the while I have to watch it happen and get labeled as a genocidal maniac for it. I can't think how many people I struck fear into, all because these flames were a threat to their lives."

"That doesn't matter!" Natsu barked back, "You just made some mistakes, that's all. I told you I would help you control your magic and-."

"And then what?!" Palva demanded, silencing Natsu, "Even if that were even possible anymore, my life is ruined! Even if I don't scare you with my magic, sooner or later, your greed will get the best of you. 800 million jewels is hard to pass up, isn't it? And you are standing right in front of someone worth that much. And even if your entire guild wasn't greedy, there will be bound to be bounty hunters and other mage guilds who would want me. You'll have to suffer the fate of protecting me while I get hunted down like a prized animal. Dori, Leon and Pastry have held on for this long for me, but that's just three people. An entire guild can't act the same way." "Palva…" Natsu muttered, surprised to hear all of this from her.

"Face it; I am just a burden to you and your guild, now that you know who I am. I can't stay here, anymore. You guys will turn your backs on me, eventually." She looked up at Natsu with a determined face as she said, "If there is one thing I am grateful for, it's for meeting you and the rest of the guild. You welcomed a person like me in, and made me feel like I could have a home here. You guys have been so kind to me, my sister, Leon and Pastry So let me return the favor…"

She stepped forward, past Natsu and everyone else as she reached the edge of the water. "I'm gonna go take care of that cannon myself." she declared, "After that, I'll see how much damage I can do inside that guild!"

"No, you can't go in there alone!" Erza pleaded to her as she ignited her feet.

"You're right about that." she agreed, "Pastry, let's go!"

"You got it!" he answered, shedding off his bandages and spreading his wings out. Palva unleashed a Fire Dragon's Pounce, shooting herself into the sky, with Pastry flying after her. He got in close, and caught her back, taking her to the cannon, despite the groups plea to her.

Just then, hundreds of robed characters flew out of the Phantom Lord Guild hall, flying towards Palva and the rest of the guild, leaving a shadowy vapor in their wake.

"What the?!" "They're sending out troop?!" "Weren't they going to fire Jupiter again?!" the other Fairy Tail mages were in a panic from what they were seeing approaching them.

"Take a good glimpse of Hell, Fairy Tail!" José hissed, "There are only two options left for you! Be eliminated by my troops, or be blown to pieces by Jupiter!"

"Those things…don't look normal." Leon stated, looking at the flying troops, "Are they even human?"

"No. Those soldiers are created by José's Shade magic." Erza explained, "They're phantom soldiers created by José."

"You mean those phantoms are…?!" Bisca started. "…Ghost?!" Alzack finished.

Palva and Pastry ignored the oncoming phantoms and José's threat, looking straight towards the cannon ahead. "Let's burn some destruction inside that thing!" Palva told her winged partner, "Take us in!"

"I'm right with you!" Pastry answered, and they dove directly into the muzzle of the cannon.

"Palva went into the cannon!" Cana noticed, "Is she trying to destroy Jupiter?"

"Then I'm going after her and smash it!" Natsu declared, pounding his fist into his hand, "We only have fifteen minutes, so we gotta try!"

"Natsu!" Dori cried, getting his attention, "Sorry for keeping it Palva and our's secret from you and the rest of the guild. But now you understand why she hates guilds so much."

"There have been way too many guilds in our lives that came to attack her out of fear or greed." Leon added, rising to his feet shakily, "She barely ever speaks to people, and the only people she ever trusted were Dori, Pastry and me. We consider you guys friends, but if any of you mages try to consider hurting her or turning her in, we will not hesitate to fight your entire guild."

"Didn't you already hear us?!" Natsu barked stepping towards Dori and Leon, "We ain't gonna turn our backs on her! She's one of us now, just like all of you guys are! And if any other guild plans to try to take her, we'll put them down in their place!"

Dori and Leon were stunned. There had not been one person in their life that was quite like Natsu. He didn't care that she was wanted, or dangerous, or even someone in the way. He considered Palva part of the guild, and that he would protect her, no matter what comes his way.

"Come on, Happy!" Natsu declared, racing towards the edge. "Aye, sir!" Happy answered, taking him in the back and following Palva to the cannon.

"Elfman, we're boarding it, too!" Gray declared as he and Elfman raced after Natsu. "Alright!" the big man answered.

Leon and Dori looked to one another, nodded in a silent agreement, then Dori shouted, "We're coming with you guys!" The two followed the others in pursuit, Leon stumbling a bit as he went.

"We'll fortify the defenses here!" Cana declared, raising magical cards in her hands to wield, while the rest of the guild made outcries of agreement.

"I'll…join you as well…" Erza groaned, rising up a bit, but she sunk to one knee again.

"Erza, you can't even stand at this point." Macao told her, "Go back into the guild and rest up before joining us!"

"I can't!" she responded, "I have to protect our guild, for our Master's sake, as well as for Lucy and Palva." Lucy was touched by Erza's statement, but worried about her condition right now.

"Erza, you barely survived defending the Jupiter Cannon." Mirajane pointed out, rushing to her and Lucy's side, "Please, for all of us, go rest up. We'll need you again in top form if that cannon fires again." She then turned to Lucy as she added, "I need you to come with me." She grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her away from the battlefield, with Loke watching them leave. Erza seemed discouraged by the fact that Macao and Mirajane were right about her condition, but was too stubborn to admit it.

Mirajane led Lucy out of view of José, where one of the members of Fairy Tail, Reedus, stood. "We have a safe house." Mirajane told the Celestial mage, "Stay there until the battles over."

"No way!" Lucy barked, tugging her hand away from Mira, "I have to fight together with everyone, just like Palva is! It's my fault that all of this happened!"

"You're wrong, Lucy." Mirajane retorted, "No one thinks that way. We're not just doing it for you, but for all of our fallen comrades, and for our guild! Everyone has their pride in this battle. So, just listen to what I say."

Lucy looked down for a moment, seeing her point of view, but still felt she had to join the battle. However, Mirajane raised a hand to her face, and bubbles of magical energy overcame her. All of a sudden, she felt extreme drowsiness overwhelm her, and she fell asleep in Mirajane's arms.

"Reedus, take Lucy to the safehouse!" Mirajane ordered the obese mage. "Oui!" he answered, pulling up his shirt and pulling out a brush and artist's paint holder, drawing a boar pulling a carriage on his stomach. In an instant, their was a puff of smoke, and the picture came to life in front of him.

"Please be careful!" Mirajane told him, to which he responded with a 'Oui'. He got into the driver's seat as Lucy was asleep in the back, and they raced off towards the safehouse.

 _I may not have the power to fight right now…_ Mirajane thought to herself as her body glowed with energy, _But I will protect my friends._ Her body and face suddenly transformed, becoming exactly like Lucy. _The Jupiter Cannon will fire in less than fourteen minutes. Natsu, Palva, please stop it!_

* * *

Palva and Pastry had made it through the inside of the cannon barrel, finding themselves inside the core of the cannon. From what they could see, the interior had rock walls, with machine parts all over the place. However, the most notable parts were the four large lacrima, all of which were a different color, and the giant lacrima in the center of the room.

"This is it!" Palva realized, looking about, "Now, how to destroy this thing…"

"From what I can see, the central lacrima is the really important piece here." Pastry pointed out, "We take that out, we destroy the whole thing!"

Just then, the two noticed the large countdown clock on the other side of the room. A hand moved clockwise, and a recorded voice declared, "THIRTEEN MINUTES REMAINING UNTIL JUPITER FIRES."

"We gotta destroy that thing, fast!" Pastry declared as Palva leapt to the ground floor of the area.

"I got this!" she declared, inhaling deeply, " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " She breathed out a torrent of flames directly at the giant lacrima. However, just as they came close, the torrent of flames shot upwards, avoiding the attack and shocking the two in the room. The flames instead turned around and went right towards Pastry. Panicking, the ginger cat dove out of the way, but the tip of his tail caught fire. As he tried blowing it out, Pastry looked about and saw, to her concern, someone appearing around the giant lacrima. It was none other than the man who she fought before, Totomaru of the Element 4.

"You will never be able to destroy the lacrima with your flames." he warned her, "Not as long as I'm around to control them!"

"I remember you!" Palva recalled, "You're that Toto guy!" "That's Totomaru!" the fire mage corrected her.

"Never mind that!" Palva barked, readying her lance, "I don't have time to deal with you. I have to save Fairy Tail by stopping this cannon!"

"What makes you think I'll let you do that?" Totomaru asked, "You should me more concerned by my orders of capturing you and taking you in for Master José."

"That's not gonna happen!" Palva barked, her eyes dilated in anger, "You're just like all those other damn guilds; Giving into your greed and putting people down that are a threat to you! I can't stand people like you!"

The hand on the clock shifted again. Twelve minutes remaining.

"We don't have time for this, Palva!" Pastry warned her, "Just destroy the lacrima before Jupiter fires again!"

"We have twelve minutes, right?" Palva asked, "That's more than enough time to put this guy down!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Totomaru barked, pulling out his katana, and instantly moving in front of Palva with a slash, which she countered with her lance. She then twirled herself around the blade, igniting her feet and unleashing a Fire Dragon's Talon at Totomaru, which he ducked under and moved back from.

"You still don't get it, do you?!" he questioned her, waving his hand to her. The flames at her feet became at his command, and she began spinning fast like a top in midair for several seconds. She then deactivated her flames, and she hit the ground on her back, dizzy from all the spinning.

"This is the end!" Totomaru declared, raising his katana at her.

"Not on your life!" Pastry roared, soaring at the Fire mage's with his mach speed, slamming his head into his hands and knocking the sword out of them. "No!" he barked, seeing his katana clatter to the floor a good ways away from him.

The clock ticked nearby, and the voice indicated that ten minutes remained until the Jupiter cannon would fire.

"Palva, you got to get up!" Pastry roared to her, "We don't have much time!"

"You're the one who's lacking time! Get out of my way!" Totomaru barked, unleashing flames at Pastry in a stream. He panicked, and dodged the attack by going skyward.

Palva rose back up to her feet again, groaning a bit as she shook off the dizziness, and growled, "You're fight is with me, Totomari. Leave him alone!"

"My name is Totomar'u'! Get it right, will you?!" the mage questioned. Both of them glared daggers at one another, irritated by the other.

* * *

Outside, Natsu was pounding the head of the cannon with his fiery fist, while Happy watched him go at it. However, all his attacks didn't so much as leave a ding on it.  
"Damn it! Not even a dent!" Natsu barked, throwing fist after fist.

"I think we should've followed Palva and Pastry inside, and destroy it from there." Happy realized. Natsu recalled his fists, realizing that really was another option of destroying the machine.

With a strategy in mind, the two flipped down inside the cannon muzzle, and started racing towards the end. As they did so, they heard the sounds of combat from the far end of the tube.

"Looks like Palva's in the middle of a fight." Natsu understood, "Let's go help her out, Happy!" "Aye!" the blue cat answered.

They reached the end of the muzzle, to find themselves in the spacious room where Palva and Totomaru continued their fight. Totomaru was able to get his sword again, and the two were clashing weapons like crazy.

"Palva!" Natsu shouted. Palva shoved Totomaru away as the two of them looked up to see the extra assistance in the room. "Natsu!" she called back in surprise. She had not expected him to follow her.

"Another member of Fairy Tail? I'll deal with you as soon as I finish off this kid!" Totomaru declared, instantly coming from behind Palva for a sneak attack, but she spun and parried his blade.

"Ain't gonna happen!" Natsu roared, leaping down at him with a fiery fist.

"Natsu, wait!" Palva cried, but too late. Totomaru raised a hand at Natsu, and he ended up punching himself in the face with his fiery fist, sending him off course.

"Natsu, why did you hit yourself?!" Happy exclaimed, flying down to meet him as he landed on his feet nearby the other two combatants.

"Because Natsu didn't mean to." Pastry answered, flying right next to him, "It's that guy who's doing it. He's able to control other people's flame attacks."

"Seriously?!" Natsu asked, rising to his feet, "This guy can do that?!"

"He's one of the Element 4, Natsu." Palva explained, doubling back from Totomaru and meeting Natsu, "Let me handle him. I got a score to settle with this guy. Go take care of the lacrima."

"But I wanna fight him, too!" Natsu barked, "I can't let you fight him alone!"

"I can take him! Just do as I say!" the female Dragon Slayer retorted angrily, glaring back at him.

The clock counted down again. Seven minutes until Jupiter fires.

"Where are the two of you looking at?!" Totomaru demanded, sending orangish yellow flames at the two. Palva, knowing what they were, leapt out of the way, while Natsu stood his ground.

"I ain't afraid of a little fire!" Natsu declared, "I'll just suck it up and…" He got engulfed in the flames, and started to eat them, but ended up gagging as he shouted, "NASTY!"

"I knew eating those flames weren't such a good idea!" Palva stated, landing a good distance away and seeing Natsu writhe on the floor in disgust.

"That fire has the odor of a mop drenched in curdled milk!" Totomaru cackled.

"That was a cheap shot!" Natsu barked, rising back up from the ground with a disgusted face, "I'll show you-."

"Natsu, what did I just say?!" Palva demanded, "Let me handle him! You destroy the lacrima, and stop the cannon!"

"But I can't let him get away with that attack!" Natsu barked back.

"Then I'll deal him ten fold of what he did you, plus more!" Palva assured him, "Just destroy the lacrima before it destroys the guild and all of our friends with it!"

The clock ticked again. Six minutes until the cannon fired. The four colored lacrima orbs around the room started to glow with elemental energy, suddenly shooting bolts of magic into the central lacrima, charging it up.

"She's right, Natsu!" Happy agreed, "Right now, we gotta destroy the cannon first!" "No time to dilly-dally. Let's take it down!" Pastry declared.

Natsu growled that he wasn't allowed to fight the guy, but as things looked right now, he needed to take priority first. The lacrima was important, and Palva knew who she was dealing with. So she had to hold him off while he destroyed it.

"Alright, fine!" Natsu grimaced, rushing to the lacrima, "But I want a punch in on that guy!"

"No you don't!" Totomaru barked, moving quickly towards Natsu, and nearly getting within range with his katana. Natsu noticed this, and was prepared to counter.

Suddenly, the fire controller's katana blade shattered. Palva's Dragonic Fang passed directly through it, piercing the lacrima blade first, though only enough for the blade to sink in half-way. "But how?!" Totomaru gasped, looking at his hands gripping the broken blade, then turning to see Palva standing there, her position held from throwing the lance.

"You're fight is with me!" Palva barked at him.

"Nice move, Palva!" Natsu cheered, seeing an opportunity rising, and igniting his fists, "Now's my chance!" He planned to strike Totomaru and the lacrima, since he was so close to both.

"I don't think so!" Totomaru barked, raising a hand to him. Natsu suddenly started spinning like a tornado, his flames encasing his body. Totomaru spun kick Natsu back to the ground, breaking the floor with his body.

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed. "Why doesn't he get it the first time?!" Pastry questioned incredulously.

The clocked ticked again. Five minutes until Jupiter fired.

Totomaru landed back on the ground again, glaring at Natsu as he rose back up to his feet. "You cannot defeat me with fire. It can never touch me!"

"You haven't let me hit you, yet!" Natsu barked back.

"Natsu, I think you should listen to Palva, right now." Pastry ordered him, getting the attention of the male Dragon Slayer, "Seriously, she has this. Look." Natsu looked to where Palva stood, as did Totomaru, and saw why. Her body was encased in a fiery aura. Without her lance, she was unable to control the flames trapped in her body. However, based on her expression, this was one of the few times she didn't mind unleashing them.

"You really want to know why I'm a wanted criminal? Why I've destroyed so many homes and lives?" Palva questioned the enemy, "Then do me a favor…" She ignited her fist and feet in even hotter flames than her body, "…And try controlling my flames, now!"

"Whoa! Palva's really fired up!" Happy noticed. Natsu could only watch in surprise, recalling the night on Galuna Island, when she demonstrated her inability to control her flames without her lance, then recalling the night after when he saw the immense amount of flames coming from her from afar.

"You fairies don't seem to learn anything, do you?" Totomaru asked, stepping closer to her, "I can control any flame, no matter how much you unleash." He raised a hand to her, attempting to control the flames encasing her body. However, Palva just stood there, her flames not even flickering to his will. Totomaru was surprised at this, and tried even harder to control them. Nothing. How was it that he, the fire manipulator of the Element 4, couldn't even control her flames?

"If I have no control over this power, what makes you think you can do better?!" Palva declared, launching herself at Totomaru. He was shocked and tried avoiding the flames, but she was quick to react. She pivoted herself as she landed, and slammed her head into his body, causing him to gag and be blown away by an explosion of flames.

"Natsu, now!" Palva declared. "Right!" Natsu answered, turning to the lacrima as the clock counted down again, now at two minutes due to the distraction. He leapt at the main lacrima, while Pastry and Happy flew in the air behind him. " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " he roared, slamming a fiery fist into the lacrima, cracking it. He unleashed another punch, and the lacrima shattered. The fusing magical energy suddenly exploded, sending Natsu flying backwards. Pastry flew in, passing Natsu as he fell, and grabbed ahold of the Dragonic Fang, previously stuck in the lacrima. He then dodged the pieces of rubble as they fell, and dropped the lance at Palva, who reached up and caught it, diffusing herself of the flames. She fell to one knee, panting from exhaustion, but was still able to go.

* * *

Outside, the Fairy Tail mages, still battling off the phantoms, watched as part of the Jupiter cannon exploded. Suddenly, the cannon head broke off from the rest of the guild, and it broke the guild a bit as it fell, going all the way down into the sea.

"Look, they destroyed the cannon!" Bisca noticed, holding two guns in her hand.

"Yeah, they did!" Alzack replied, while the guild cheered in victory, "They successfully destroyed Jupiter!"

Inside the guild hall, Mirajane, still disguised as Lucy, watched the explosion, while Erza, who was sitting down to recover, witnessed it at her side.

"Looks like they managed to do it." Mirajane stated. "Yes, and with less than two minutes to spare, as well." Erza agreed, "Natsu and Palva managed to do their part."

"Still, I worry this is far from over." Mirajane stated, "In fact, I'd say this is only the beginning."

Erza nodded, rising back to her feet, struggling slight as she did so. "I should go join them. They'll need my help."

"Not yet. You still need to recover." Mirajane retorted, "Just rest so you can restore your strength."

"I realize that, but I'll recuperate as I get there." she assured her, walking off, "You just make sure things are okay, here." Mirajane knew Erza was pushing herself, but knew better than to interfere with her. When Erza sets her mind to something, it's better to go with her than to force her to not do it. All she could do now is hope and pray for the best.

* * *

Back inside, or rather, what was left inside, the interior of the Jupiter Cannon was totally destroyed, with machine pieces and rubble scattered all about the place. Sunlight was showing as the explosion destroyed the walls along with the lacrima. Natsu rose back up to his feet again, massaging his head from being blown back by the energy. Palva walked over to him, with Happy and Pastry landing on the ground next to them.

"You doing okay, Natsu?" Pastry asked. "Yeah, I'll manage." Natsu answered, turning to her, "How 'bout you?"

"I'm okay." she answered, "Thanks for destroying the lacrima. Now Fairy Tail will still stand." Natsu grinned at their first victory together, glad to know the guild hall and friends were safe.

Just then, they noticed Totomaru land on a fallen large gear, his body scorched by Palva's attack. "Such power." he muttered, wincing as he rose a bit.

"Now you see what I'm made of?" Palva asked, "My magic is not something you can control so easily. I've tried for the past thirteen years, and never succeeded. That's why I'm wanted in the Western Continent; As long as I am alive, I am a danger to anyone who gets near me!"

Natsu, Pastry and Happy looked to Palva with concern. Considering what they found out about her, they did feel remorse for her suffering. They could see that she knew the difficulty of trying to control her flames with all her being and heart. Not even outside sources like Totomaru were able to control her flames. Because of powers beyond her control, she ended up a criminal, even though she, herself, was innocent.

Palva's lance ignited in flame as she barked, "Unless you possess the power of this lance, you stand no chance at controlling my fire!"

"She ain't alone in this one, either!" Natsu added, igniting his fists with bigger flames than before, "I ain't gonna let you control my flames, either! Not as long as my heart isn't in it! It's your turn to get burned!" Totomaru snarled, glaring down at the two Dragon Slayers.

Just then, the ground started to shake beneath them, but it wasn't an earthquake. It happened so abruptly, they didn't even prepare themselves. Outside, the shades were recalled and started to swirl above the Phantom Lord headquarters, whiles the building itself started to transform before the Fairy Tail mage's eyes.

"Wha-wha-what's happening?!" Natsu asked as the room started to tilt on them.

"The whole place is trembling!" Happy gasped, the two cats producing wings to avoid getting tossed out.

"Impossible, they've resorted to that?!" Totomaru muttered, bracing himself as well, "This area is not horizontally stable!"

Just then, Palva started to feel queasy. "Pas…try…" she moaned, grasping her lance as her face paled.

"Oh, crap!" Pastry realized something, then barked Happy, "Get Natsu in the air, now!" "Why?!" he asked.

"Whatever's happening… It's causing them motion sickness!" he answered, as the room shook abruptly, and a sickly Natsu and Palva got tossed up. He darted in, and grabbed Palva by the back, pulling her up into the air just high enough to be a few feet off the ground. Happy went for Natsu, who's cheeks started to bulge as he fell to the floor, and picked him up as well.

"You two okay?" Pastry asked. Palva gasped as she began to recover herself, then answered, "Yeah…somehow…"

"What's with this crazy place?" Natsu groaned, recovering as well, "Why is their headquarter's shaking?"

"The giant has awakened!" Totomaru declared, "This is the end for you all!"

"The giant?!" Palva and Natsu exclaimed, looking about. Unbeknownst to them, the entire headquarters did transform into a massive giant, with glowing red eyes.

"Bow down and beg for mercy, you brats." José's voice suddenly boomed into existence, "Bow down to me, or you shall know despair until your final moments."

"Ain't gonna happen!" Natsu barked in the air. "I'd rather soon burn your mouth to a crisp than to bow to you!" Palva added.

"You still wish to resist us?" Totomaru asked, appearing before the two flying mages, "Just give up while you have the chance. Now that the giant has awakened, your guild will suffer and fall like embers turned to ashes! The only way you can save yourselves is if you turn yourself in, along with that Lucy Heartfilia!"

"I'd think we spent enough time talking, don't you think?!" Natsu questioned angrily, turning to Palva. "Yeah. Let's do it together!" Palva declared, readying herself in the air.

"If that's the case, then I'll just finish you two off with my strongest magic spell!" Totomaru declared, summoning a magic circle in front of him, "Prepare to die, Dragon Slayers!"

His magic spell was cut off as Pastry and Happy got Natsu and Palva in close, their fist and foot ignited in flames respectively. "YOU FIRST!" they barked, unleashing a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist and Talon together, sending him high into the sky, screaming in pain until he disappeared in a glint.

"These two are an awesome pairing!" Pastry stated with a grin. "Aye! They're the Twin Fire Dragon Slayers!" Happy named them, while the two Dragon Slayers looked to one another, grinning a bit at the victory they gained.

"Guys!" Dori's voice shouted. They looked down, and saw Palva's sister, Leon, Gray and Elfman down on the ground, looking up at them.

"Hey, guys!" Natsu called back, "Hate to tell ya, but we already took care of everything here!"

"Yeah. We destroyed the lacrima, and kicked one of the Element 4's butts!" Pastry declared.

"Not bad." Gray stated, looking at the broken pieces of the giant lacrima. "You two were pretty manly at taking care of all of this." Elfman stated.

"It's definitely a lot easier for them if they're in the air during this guild's transformation." Leon stated.

"Yeah. I almost blew chunks when it started moving." Palva moaned as the two pairings descended down to the ground. They touched their feet to the ground, getting a feel of the area. "Looks like things stopped moving, all of a sudden!" Natsu realized.

Palva sighed in relief as Pastry and Happy decided to go out to investigate. She was soon encased in a hug from her sister. "You had me worried there, Palva." she pointed out, "You're so reckless, you know that?"

Palva didn't answer at first. She started to recall the reason she took off to fight in the first place, and her expression saddened. "I'm sorry." she apologized, releasing herself from her sister, "But…I just had to act before the guild had a chance to attack. I couldn't stand Fairy Tail getting hurt from this, even if they know my secret now. As soon as this is over, I'll leave the guild."

"Why do you want to do that?" Natsu asked, getting her attention, "Is it because you're someone who's destroyed a few towns? So what? It's not like Fairy Tail hasn't already done a lot of that, already."

"But I'm a wanted criminal." Palva reminded him, looking down, "I caused so much suffering and pain. Sooner or later, your guild will give into either their fear or greed, and turn me in. I can't allow myself to deal with such a fate again!" Dori and Leon looked at Palva with a sympathetic expression, knowing the countless times a guild would hunt her down out of fear or greed, just as she said.

"Come on, do we really look like the kind of guild who would do that?" Gray asked, getting her attention, "As far as I can see, you ain't a criminal, got it?" Palva's eyes widened at these words.

"He's right. Besides, we wouldn't be such a manly guild if we attacked one of our comrades for something that lame." Elfman added.

"Besides, I made a promise to you, didn't I?" Natsu asked, "I'd said I would help you control those flames of yours, and that's what I intend to do. You're not a bad person, so stop saying you're one. You, Pastry, Dori and Leon are all members of Fairy Tail, and that ain't gonna change!"

The three in the room he addressed were just shocked at the Fairy Tail mage's statements. Natsu, Gray and Elfman all were backing them up, making, mainly Palva, understand that there was no need to fear the guild they became a part of. They were not gonna betray them in any way. They were planning to be by their side until the very end. It was touching to them, to say the least. Palva almost felt like she wanted to cry, but knew that this wasn't the appropriate place to do so.

"Guys!" Happy cried out, getting the group's attention. He and Pastry flew back to them with panicked looks on their faces.

"What's going on?" Leon asked as they landed on the ground before them.

"We got bad news!" Pastry informed them, "We know what caused the shaking before. It's just as that guy said; the Phantom Lord headquarters transformed into a magic giant!"

"Not only that, but it's drawing a huge magic circle!" Happy added, "From what I gathered, it's creating the forbidden spell, Abyss Break!"

"The Abyss Break?!" Dori questioned in horror, as did the rest of the mages.

"And by the size of it, if it's complete, it will destroy the entire city!" Happy exclaimed, "We're doomed!"

"What the hell?! That's impossible!" Natsu roared.

"We have no choice but to split up and find the source of the giant's power." Gray suggested.

"Agreed. Since there are eight of us, let's split into two teams of three and one team of two." Dori added, "Leon, Elfman and Pastry can be one team." The trio of men nodded in approval.

"Gray, why don't you take care of my sister, okay?" Palva and Gray looked to one another, and decided to try out their teamwork, despite being fire and ice.

"That leaves me with Natsu and Happy." she finished, looking to the two in question, "We need to act fast, so let's get to work!" "RIGHT!" the team declared in response. The three teams raced into the transformed guild, ready to stop the Abyss Break from happening.

* * *

 **Another Chapter complete! The cliffhanger leaves us with the three teams heading towoards different places to find a way to shut down the giant, but will they be able to accomplish it? You'll find out soon!  
**

 **I made many new twists to both Leon and especially Palva in this chapter. So Porlyusica might actually know Leon, but who is this Azure Cleaver person? Does he and Leon have a connection? And now you know the secret behind Palva; an innocent girl who thanks to her uncontrollable flames, ended up with a 800,000,000 jewel bounty. I know I'm pulling out stuff from One Piece in regards to bounties, but it was the best I could come up with. But now you know why she hates guilds, too. I mean, any who approach her and her familiy and friends want to attack her out of greed or fear. What will be her fate with the Fairy Tail guild? Will Natsu be right in saying that she will stay, or will something else happen that will force her to separate herself from the guild?**

 **For the next episode, expect two big battles to begin; Leon & Elfman vs. Sol, and Gray & Palva vs. Juvia. Leon will need to pull something off, what with lacking a lot of magic from defending against the Jupiter blast. And the uncontrollable rain vs. the uncontrollable fire. Who will trump who? All will be found out in the next chapter.**

 **As always, please leave a review on my work, which I always appreciate, and I hope to finish up the next chapter soon!**


	9. Earth's Memories & Rain's Rage!

PREVIOUSLY ON FAIRY TAIL:

The Fairy Tail guild was licking their wounds while a healer and friend of Makarov, Porlyusica, was taking care of the Master himself after he got defeated in the raid against Phantom Lord. Lucy was revealed to be the daughter of a rich family, the Heartfilia, and it was her father who hired Phantom to bring her back. However, the reason for the enemy guild targeting Palva remained unknown, though it cause worry to both Himeka sisters.

Suddenly, Phantom Lord's headquarters appeared as a mobile fortress in front of Fairy Tail, and almost blasted them down with a Jupiter Cannon had it not been for Erza and Leon's efforts. It was then that Master José unveiled the truth about Palva; she was a dangerous criminal in the Western Continent due to her uncontrollable magic, and had a bounty of 800 million jewels!

With no belief that the Fairy Tail guild would keep her anymore, Palva and Pastry went to work on destroying the Jupiter Cannon before it fired again, with Natsu and Happy coming after them. They managed to destroy it, and defeat Totomaru of the Element 4, but things went from bad to worse when the guild transformed into a magic giant, and started creating the Abyss Break spell. With time limited for them, The two Dragon Slayers and cats, along with Gray, Dori, Elfman and Leon, split into three groups, hoping to shut down the mech before all of Magnolia was destroyed.

* * *

Back at the guild hall, Cana had just regrouped with Mirajane, who was still disguised as Lucy inside the guild.

"Mira, how long does it take for that spell to activate?" Cana asked the disguised mage.

"I'd say approximately ten minutes." Mirajane answered, "We have to find a way to destroy its power source."

"The guys inside must've come to the same conclusion as well." Cana realized.

"Natsu and Palva aren't the only one in there?" Mirajane asked her, surprised. "Yeah. Gray, Dori, Leon and Elfman." she answered.

The last name shocked Mirajane as she gasped, "Elfman?! But why?!"

"Why? Because he wants to…" Cana answered her.

"You know as well as I do Elfman can't fight!" Mirajane reminded her, "It's too dangerous!"

"He'll be fine. He fought with us before, remember?" Cana reminded back.

"Fighting with those small fries is one thing, but against their elites…" Mirajane muttered, worried for her younger brother, "With his current strength, Elfman is…"

Cana looked down, realizing what Mirajane was talking about. Despite her powers now, Mirajane was an S-class mage. She had powers that even gave Erza a run for her money. However, after that incident two years ago, she and Elfman were never the same.

"Hey Mira, when that happened; you, Elfman, and myself… Everyone suffered a deep wound." she started, "However, in his own way, this is how he is moving forward. You should have realized it by now."

Mirajane looked down, thinking on Cana's words. She was right. Elfman was always showing he wanted to move forward, and this move of his was definite proof he is trying to do more. To move past that tragedy. The one that involved their younger sister. If he was able to move forward, then maybe she could too. She had to take the next step to help the guild.

She squeezed herself through the boarded off window of separating the two, with a shocked Cana watching her. She fell to the battlefield grounds, marching forward past the group of mages, who were shocked to see her step into the battlefield. The attention of her presence even caught the eye of José.

"I'm the one you're after, right?!" Mirajane demanded, using the disguised figure and voice of Lucy, "Stop attacking the guild right now!" Everyone was shocked at her daring. She intended to be the bait to give the guild enough time to stop the machine. This was all she could do at the moment.

"Disappear, little imposter." José's voice echoed from the giant mech, shocking Mirajane, "I knew right from the start that Lucy wasn't there. There's no way that the person who was targeted would be sent to the front lines."

"Damn!" Cana growled, while Mirajane's transformation disappeared. She stood there in the middle of the battlefield, tears falling down her face. Her only chance to help the guild, and it was a total failure. _I'm completely useless…_ she sobbed in her mind.

Cana came down to join her, wrapping her arm around her as she assured her, "Don't worry. Elfman can fight. Because he, too, is a Fairy Tail mage."

"Don't you think we should run for it?" "That magic seal looks almost complete…" a pair of the fighting mages fearfully muttered.

"You want to leave the guild behind?!" Cana barked at the two, separating herself from Mirajane, "There are people fighting in there for us! We have to believe in them!"

Mirajane looked down, worried. Elfman was in no state to be fighting. And as she noticed before, Erza and Leon were also weakened after defending themselves against the Jupiter blast, and they, too, were inside there, fighting. What else could she do but worry for them?

Just then, a magic circle produced itself underneath Mira's feet, and she ended up getting sucked in. "Oh, crap! Mira!" Cana cried out, seeing her vanish. She reappeared once more, trapped within a pair of fingers of the giant mech. She was being crushed in the pincer grab, unable to escape.

"You're such a detestable girl for trying to deceive us." José told her, "Just watch while I slowly crush your comrades." Mira was in pain, as she could do nothing else but feel the pressure about her body. The rest of the guild could do nothing to save her.

 _You have to stop that giant quickly, guys!_ Cana thought to herself, _Natsu, Gray, Elfman! All of you guys!_

* * *

Inside the giant mech of a guild, Elfman, Pastry and Leon raced through the hallways, attempting to find the power source to stop the Abyss Break.

Elfman let out a roar as he declared, "The real man, Elfman, will protect Fairy Tail with his life!"

"Where does he get that energy?" Pastry questioned in confusion, then looked behind when he heard Leon stumble while running, "You gonna be okay, Leon? You haven't caught a break after enduring the Jupiter blast, and you're so low on magic power."

"I'll be fine." Leon assured him, "I've already recovered some of my magic since then, and I will make sure these guys don't get their hands on Palva or the rest of Fairy Tail!"

"That's the spirit!" Elfman answered, looking back at him, "We men have to push ourselves when the going gets tough! Now let's stop this thing, manly style!" Leon nodded in assurance.

 _These two guys together…it's kind of a nostalgic feeling._ Pastry thought to himself, _Then again, it was a bit different back then, but they did always have each other's backs._

Just as Elfman made a mad dash across the room, one of the stone panels he stepped on produced a large eye. Pastry saw it and squealed in panic, causing Leon to stop after witnessing it, too. "Elfman, eyes on the floor. Literally!" the blue-haired mage shouted. Elfman turned as someone rose from the ground, or rather everything from his legs rose up, with the rest connected to the ground. It was a familiar character to Pastry; Sol of the Element 4.

"Salut." he greeted the trio. "That's one of the guys who kidnaped Lucy!" Pastry noticed, "I think his name was Sol, and he's one of the Element 4!"

"One of the Element 4, huh?" Elfman asked, taking off his coat to ready himself for battle. Leon pulled his large blade from his back and held it at the ready.

"Corriger! My name is Sol. However, you may address me as Monsieur Sol!" the man greeted.

"Like I care!" Elfman growled, "I'll have you tell me how to stop this giant."

"And we'll make sure you give us the answer, one way or another!" Leon added, leaping forward with his blade at hand. Sol didn't need to turn before he dove into the ground again, avoiding the attack, then came rising back out as he shouted, " **Roche Concerto!** " Leon got blasted by a storm of rocks from the ground, and ended up in the air, collapsing to the ground next to Elfman.

"Leon!" Elfman barked, then he growled as he glared at Sol. He raised his right arm as he shouted, " **Beast Arm! Black Bull!** " With a magic circle, his right arm became that of a black, muscular beast.

"Oh my? Is your right arm alone good enough?" Sol taunted, causing Elfman's eyes to narrow, "It seems the rumours were accurate after all."

"If you don't shut up, I'll make you!" Elfman roared, lunging forward with his fist. He pounded the ground heavily as Sol detached himself from the ground, flipping over the attack. Leon got back up to witness this assault.

"You had a little sister, noh?" Sol asked, shocking Elfman, " **Sable Dance!** " With a magic circle, he summoned a sandstorm that filled the room, causing Elfman, Leon and Pastry to endure. Sol disappeared within the attack.

"Where is he?!" Elfman growled, trying to see through the sand.

Pastry, squinting through the sand, saw the villain rise up from the ground behind the Strauss brother. "Behind you!" he yelled. Elfman turned in time to get a blast of Roche Concerto from Sol. He endured as best as he could, and backflipped away from the attack.

Leon took the opportunity to get behind Sol and attempted to slash him down. "Non, non, non…" Sol responded, retreating into the ground to avoid the slash. Leon looked about, wondering where he would resurface again. He sensed something appearing behind him, but ended up getting hit by a reverse spin kick by Sol. Fortunately, he wasn't as badly effected by such an attack, but he couldn't get him back in time as he dove right back into the ground.

Elfman came to join Leon's side, but ended up stopped by Sol resurfacing and wrapping his elastic body around his beast arm, with his face meeting the big man's. "Salut." he greeted him.

"Man, you are a creepy bastard!" Elfman growled, using his other hand to try and pull off the guy from his arm.

"Non, non, non!" Sol retorted, "With three non's, that is complete nonsense!"

"Get off me, Man-sewer Sol!" Elfman ordered, tugging at the guy's body.

"It's 'Monsieur', idiot!" Sol corrected him, unwinding his body and unleashing a kick to Elfman's face, causing him to falter back.

"Damn, this guy is slippery!" Leon growled, as he and Elfman got together, seeing Sol wiggling his body like a taunting worm. "And he's a lot stronger than he looks, too!" Elfman added.

"What the heck are you guys doing?!" Pastry questioned, flying high in the air to view the battle, "This guy's a complete pushover! Just take him down!"

 _Easy for you to say._ Leon retorted in his thoughts, _I only have enough magic power to put on one set of armor, and to use it's powers. I have to use the right moment to do so._

"By the way, did you fail at a full-body Take Over and go berserk?" Sol asked Elfman in a malicious manner.

"What?" Leon questioned, turning to the man in question, who looked down, grimacing at a thought. He then barked, "Shut up!", and made a leaping jump at Sol, transforming his Beast Arm into the Iron Bull form as he did so.

Sol was ready for this, as he summoned up a clay statue, taking the form of a young girl in her early teens, standing directly in front of Sol. Elfman's eyes went into shock at the sight of her, and he stopped his attack. "Lisanna!" he gasped, seeing her statue figure.

"How?!" Pastry gasped, seeing the figure as well in shock.

"What're you doing, Elfman?!" Leon barked, coming in from behind to see what he stopped him, "Why won't you attack him?!"

"My apologies. But when you stepped on me earlier, I took the liberty of rummaging through your memories." Sol explained.

Elfman growled at what he had done, but kept his Beast Arm held back. He couldn't allow himself to hurt his younger sister, even if it was a statue.

Leon took a good look at the statue in front of him, too. "Who…is that?" he asked, seeing the girl's face. For a second, it was as if he knew her from somewhere, and his heart started to ache slightly. However, the pain was nothing compared to what happened next. All of a sudden, his head felt like it split opened, and his face contorted into excruciating pain. He clasped his head as everything around him started to spin. His ears rang in the pain from his head. He couldn't think. He couldn't speak. He couldn't hear. He could barely keep himself stable as he collapsed to his knees, howling in pain.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?!" Elfman asked, completely distracted by Leon's sudden outburst, "Hey, get a hold of yourself!" Leon showed no sign of even noticing him.

"Crap, this is not good!" Pastry muttered, "It's too soon for him to recall about her!"

"Mon dieu! What is this?" Sol asked, "Your friend seems to know your cute younger sister."

"What did you do to him?!" Elfman barked at the enemy.

"Je n'ai rien fait. This is merely a reaction of his own accord." Sol answered, "From what I gather of what you know about him, he has no memories of his past. Perchance this is a reaction?" Leon fell to his side, grasping his head in pain. He was completely helpless and unable to help in this case. Pastry came down next to him, trying to yell at him to get a grip on himself, with no response.

"Still, I wonder where this cute younger sister might be?" Sol asked, hiding behind the statue of Lisanna, then his eye not hidden by his monocle widened as he answered, "Oh, pardon me moi. I can see she was buried in the cold, dark earth."

Pastry looked back, gritting his teeth as the worst-case scenario he figured the night before came to realization. Lisanna was dead. Elfman looked mournful as his Beast Arm reverted to normal.

"Pauvre fillette! How could you do such a cruel thing?" Sol questioned Elfman, and he infused his body into the statue, opening Lisanna's eyes as she questioned, "Well, big brother Elf?"

Elfman, refusing with all his might to be tormented by such a sight, decided to go for an all or nothing attempt. He roared as magic energy surged around his body, attempting a full-body Take Over. _I won't be confused. I must do this!_ he thought determinately.

"Non, non, non. You shouldn't do that." Sol told Elfman, brushing his mustache, "Ever since you failed at a full-body Take Over, have you forgotten what happens when you go berserk?" He summoned multiple statues of Lisanna, all in different position, but gaining color and life as they warned him not to do that, telling him how cruel he was. The echoing voices caused Elfman to falter, and he collapsed to one knee. Leon still didn't move, but rather fell into an unconscious state from all the pain.

"This is too much!" Pastry gasped, looking at all the Lisanna, "What did Elfman do to Lisanna to cause this much cruelty?!"

"Non, non, non! You shouldn't do what you can't." Sol warned Elfman, "It seems your magical power has just gone down drastically."

"You cowardly bastard…" Elfman growled, "If you're a real man, fight me fair and square with your fists!"

"Are you insinuating I'm not a real man?" Sol questioned, gathering all the clay statues he conjured into a swirling mass above him, "Non, non, non. You have no right to talk! You are not qualified to speak of being a man. You're not a man, but a monster who murdered his own little sister!"

"What?!" Pastry gasped, turning to Elfman, who's expression showed his refusal to admit it.

" **Plâtre Sonate**!" Sol shouted, unleashing a plaster fist at Elfman, who ended up slammed so hard, he broke the wall behind him, revealing the outside. Pastry tumbled in the air, while Leon's limp body rolled along the ground, heading towards the spot Elfman laid.

Elfman grimaced in pain, his head hanging over the edge. "Elfman, no!" shouted a familiar voice. Elfman squinted his eyes open, and saw something that horrified him, and flipped right-side up. From a distance, he could see the giant's left hand pinching someone between its' fingers, and from the sound of the person calling him a second time, he recognized the person as his own sister.

"Big sis? What's going on?" he questioned, seeing Mirajane in pain from being pinched between the giant fingers, "How did they get ahold of you?! Mira!"

Pastry regained himself after hearing Elfman's cries, and gasped in shock at the sight of where Mirajane was at. "Crap, they got her!" he gasped. He turned to Leon, seeing that he was still unconscious. There was no way he could help him out in his condition, so he had to go for the person who needed the most help now. He sprouted his wings, and snuck out to get to Mirajane.

"Oh? So she's your older sister, Mademoiselle Mirajane? Also known as the She-Devil, noh?" Sol asked, squiggling behind where Elfman laid, "She was quite fearsome, once. But her magical powers have completely wasted away. Poor thing, and whose fault was that?"

As Pastry reached Mirajane to try and help pull her out, the Earth mage continued, "She is being punished for trying to deceive us. She will soon be crushed."

"Dang it!" Pastry grimaced, pulling her from the back of her dress, "They really got you stuck here!" Even as he was doing this, the left arm was raised so as to be in better view of where Elfman was at, shocked at his sister's position.

"Run! Get out of here!" Mirajane cried to her brother.

"The hell do you call this…?!" Elfman growled, "Let go of my sister!" His demand was responded with a heave kick to the head by Sol, slamming his forehead into the rock.

"Come on, Leon! Wake up!" Pastry barked to his unconscious friend.

"Stop it!" Mirajane begged, "It doesn't matter what happens to me! But just leave Elfman alone!"

"Such a pity." Sol stated, backing off from Elfman, "Your older sister will be lost right before your eyes, just like your younger sister! That's because you are merely an incompetent mage who spouts trash about being a man."

He summoned a magic circle, directing it at Elfman. He felt extreme pressure cover his body, and pain surged afterwards, as he felt as he was losing himself within the magic.  
"As a gentlemen, I cannot forgive you." Sol told him, "And so, I will give you eternal suffering! **Sealing Magic: Mercí la Vie!** You will be molded into the land, and will continue wandering in your abominable memories forever!"

"NO!" Mirajane and Pastry shouted, seeing Elfman in pain. "NO! STOP IIIT!" Elfman shouted, his sight fading as he saw nothing but the earth covering his eyes. Suddenly, everything went blank on him.

He wasn't sure what happened, but Elfman soon found himself standing in the middle of a white space. He then saw something through the white smoke, and it cleared to see a young boy in a clean dress suit, crouched in front of a handmade grave sight, sobbing. He recognized the person quite easily. After all, it was him.

"Big Brother Elf!" shouted a familiar voice behind him. The older Elfman turned to see, out of the smoke, a child Lisanna racing towards him.

"It's you!" Elfman stated, crouching down to greet her, "Hey, Lisann-." Instead of getting caught in his hands, however, Lisanna passed right through his body, approaching his sobbing, younger self. Elfman was in shock at the realization that this was all just an illusion.

"Come on. Please try to cheer up." she consoled him, while Elfman turned to watch them.

"It's my fault…" the young Elfman sobbed, "It's my fault my parakeet died!"

"No, it's not!" Lisanna retorted, "It's not your fault, big brother. All living things eventually die."

"Really? All living things have to die?" the younger Elfman asked.

"Yeah. It's sad, but that's just how life works." Lisanna answered, "But as long as you remember it, that bird will always live on inside your heart…"

"Inside your heart…" both Elfman's echoed, and the older version smiled. How could he forget that it was one of the things Lisanna had always lived by.

Suddenly, he saw his younger self push Lisanna away as he barked, "Don't talk like you understand me!", and he raced away, with Lisanna watching him leave. She then crouched down and bursted into tears, with the older Elfman watching her sympathetically.

"Don't cry, Lisanna." he pleaded, "I didn't know what I was saying!" He then sensed someone behind him, and turned to see a younger version of Mirajane, wearing a skimpy attire as she huffed at the situation.

Suddenly, the scenery changed about him once more, and he recognized the place as the Southgate Magnolia Park, the same place where team Shadow Gear was pinned up by Gajeel. However, it was sunset, and he turned to see Natsu and Happy sitting by the large tree, with Lisanna, now in her early teens, looking down at them.

"Don't tell me you two are fighting again?" the young lady accused the two.

"Oh, Lisanna… You're back?" Natsu asked, looking up at her.

"Natsu was really mean!" Happy accused, "He ate all my fish!"

As the two argued with one another, Elfman suddenly realized why this situation felt familiar. How could he forget. It was two year ago when this situation happened, and it was on this day that…

"Hey, Lisanna, we got a job to do!" Elfman's voice called out, and the real Elfman turned to see himself and Mirajane, both two years younger, as they were approaching the trio.

"But we just finished a job. Can't we get a break?" Lisanna moaned.

"Yeah, but it's an S-class!" Elfman explained, "We'll back Sis up on it."

"No way! Totally not fair!" Natsu barked angrily, jealous of them going on such a high-ranked request.

"What kind of job is it?" Happy asked.

"Emergency Suppression." Mirajane explained, "We're heading toward the king of monsters, 'The Beast'. Natsu, you wanna come with us? It'll be good experience for you."

"Seriously?" Elfman asked, "I don't want him tagging along. I'm the man in this family, and I can take care of both of you myself!"

The real Elfman felt horrified at hearing himself say this while everything started to go hazy on him. "Don't! Don't go! You're not ready, yet!" he called to them, racing towards the group as they furthered from his reach, "At least take Natsu with you!" However, he didn't make it to them, and everything was foggy again.

He then heard a growl as the scene started changing again, and fire started to produce about him. He turned and was horrified at the scene that was taking form about him. He knew it too well, and it frightened him.

* * *

In reality, Elfman's body was already covered in stone, with the exception of his head. His eyes were blank, and his expression was stunned. A struggling Mirajane and Pastry could only watch him, unable to help.

"Elfman! Pull yourself together!" Mirajane called out to him, "Wake up, Elfman!" He didn't even show any signs of responding to this.

Pastry looked to him in horror, then gritted his teeth as he looked to Leon, who was still unconscious, not having woken up after his painful headache. _You damn fool!_ he growled in his thought, _How in the hell are you just laying there right next to him, and not doing a damn thing to help?! I get that see Lisanna was a shock, but this is getting ridiculous! You're going to break your promise to her if you don't wake up!_

* * *

Inside Leon's mind, he found himself standing in the middle of the fog, similar to Elfman, looking about. _What was this place? How did I end up here? The last thing that I could remember was my head screaming in pain, but why…?_

Suddenly, he started seeing something take form in the distance. It looked like a large tree, the trunk as wide as his arms length. It was familiar to Leon, but why? What was so different to this large tree? He had to know, and he started walking towards it.

He walked around the side of it, and saw someone leaning his back on it. He recognized the individual as himself, wearing a slightly different attire, composed of a brown and black-trimmed coat rather than the blue one he wore now. His shirt underneath and pants were pretty much the same, but he wore different running boots, which looked like were made of leather, and he bore a black Fairy Tail emblem on his left cheek, underneath his eye.

"Is that…me?" he asked, looking at himself as he leaned back on the tree, his eyes closed.

"Leon!" called out a voice. It was familiar, and yet not so at the same time. Even so, hearing it gave him comfort. He turned to see someone walking through the fog towards him, and recognized the face of the girl as the one he saw as a clay statue. It was Lisanna, wearing different clothing, but it was her, nonetheless.

Leon's other self opened his eyes as he looked back at Lisanna, who approached the real one, and phased right through him, startling him slightly.

"What's up, Lisanna?" Leon asked.

"Just checking on where you were." the young girl asked, approaching him to display how she barely reached his shoulder, "What'cha doing?"

"Just getting away from 'her'." he answered, "She's going bonkers on Natsu again, and almost got me in it, as well. Figured I took the opportunity to get some peace and quiet."

Lisanna huffed as she looked back at where she came from. "Figures. She really needs to take it easy on him. I swear, it's not that I care for him and all that, but she does it to him more than the others."

"Pretty crazy, that girl is, huh?" Leon asked her. She looked back at him, both sharing a quiet gaze at one another, then both smiled sweetly at one another.

"By the way, I got a new job for us." Lisanna informed him, "I got Elfman and Mirajane to join us. Pastry might join us, too."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?" he asked.

"Just a few rogue mages that got in danger with the army." Lisanna answered, "Figured we go and help clear up the mess. It's in that town you like, which has the underground armor shop."

"Sounds promising. Wonder if they got anything new in stock since the last time we were there?" Leon asked, looking up at the sky.

"I know you have that magic of yours, but you already have a lot of armor sets and weapons to choose from already." Lisanna stated, "Don't you think you have enough?"

"Well, I did promise you that I would protect you and your siblings from harm, didn't I?" Leon asked her, "In order to do that, I need to have all sorts of magic armors and weapons to combat any situation, so that I can keep that promise."

Lisanna smiled slightly at appreciation, then added, "Don't forget that we're all strong, ourselves, too. We can protect ourselves and you just as well as you can."

"True, but I still need to be there to protect you, Lisanna." Leon stated, turning to her, "So let's make sure we both protect one another, and protect Mira and Elfman, too." Lisanna nodded in response, giving a small giggle at the thought of the two of them protecting her older siblings.

"Protect…Mira and Elfman." the real Leon echoed, watching the entire scene, "That's right. I made that promise to her, didn't I?"

"You'd better keep that promise." said another familiar voice. He and the other two looked up to see Pastry fly down towards them from the tree branch above.

"Pastry!" Leon gasped. "How long were you up there listening to us?" Lisanna demanded.

"Long enough to hear that promise." Pastry answered, settling down on Leon's head, "And long enough to know you two need to get a room."

Leon and Lisanna both blushed in embarrassment at his words. The blue-haired swordsman then grabbed Pastry by the neck, and within seconds, both he and Lisanna were pulling each of his cheeks in pain. "You need to learn to stop talking!" the barked in unison.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! I'm sorry!" the ginger cat yelped.

The real Leon closed his eyes, realizing that this really was part of his memory. He knew Lisanna, Elfman and Mira long ago, but from where? Everything went foggy about him, as he stood in the middle of it, his mind filled with more questions and answers.

"Elfman!" echoed a voice. He looked about, and realized that the voice was Mirajane's. Based on her cry, Elfman was in trouble, and quite possibly her.

* * *

Back in Elfman's nightmares, he watched the burning town from a distance, and heard Mirajane's outcry to him. However, it wasn't the Mirajane in reality, but the one in his mind.

"Elfman!" she cried from behind him, and the man himself turned to witness his injured sister on the ground, her back to a rock. A terrifying beast that was stomping towards her, it's menacing look and purple eyes overshadowed Mirajane. However, it was Elfman himself who recognized the monster. "That monster…is me!" he gasped, horrified at the sight.

"Elfman, pull yourself together!" Mirajane shouted to the beast, bracing her arm with her other hand. However, there was no response from it.

"Mira!" shouted Lisanna's voice, and a colorful bird appeared in the sky to join Mirajane's side, transforming itself into Lisanna. "I evacuated all the people in the town." she informed her older sibling, "But what happened?"

"Lisanna, you have to get out of here." Mirajane ordered her, "I was careless. Elfman attempted to protect me, and he tried a Take Over on The Beast." Lisanna gasped in shock, seeing the beast in front of them, and coming to the realization of what the result was.

"However, it's magical power was too great." Mirajane continued, "Elfman's lost his reason!"

Lisanna gasped in shock as she pulled Mirajane up by her arm, asking, "What'll happen to Elfman? How can we save him?!"

"If he doesn't come to his senses soon, he'll be taken by The Beast!" Mirajane stated as the shadow of the said monster covered the two girls. The Beast looked down at the two, smoke frothing from his mouth.

Lisanna glared up at it, knowing that deep down, her big brother was in there. If he was, then she had to get through to him, and make him come to his senses. She relinquished her grip on Mirajane, and slowly approached The Beast, until she was within the range of its' arms. "Wait, Lisanna, what are you…?!" Mirajane questioned in shock.

The young Strauss sibling softened her face into a smile. "Hey, big brother. You feeling okay?" she asked innocently, "It's me, your little sister, Lisanna. Mira's here, too." The Beast growled as it tilted its' head at Lisanna.

"There's no way that you'd forget us, right big brother?" Lisanna continued, "Because we both love you very much, and we're not mad with you." The Beast narrowed its' eyes at her.

"Lisanna…" Elfman muttered, fearing for what was to come, "It's no use… RUN AWAY!" His last words were matched with the roar of the Beast as it raised its' arm up, ready to strike. Lisanna, however, didn't move from where she stood, but raised her hands outward, like she was about to embrace him.

"There's no need to be afraid." Lisanna assured him, "We still love you." There was a moment's pause as The Beast did not move. Then, he swung his claw, and struck Lisanna on the side, sending her flailing into the woods, crashing out of sight. Mirajane cried out in shock, her eyes petrified at what had transpired. Elfman stood there, his legs shaking as he watched himself strike down his own sister. He killed her. He was responsible for her death. He fell to his knees, and pounded the ground with his fist. He began to cry.

The scene changed once again. It was raining, and Elfman was still in his position, kneeling in front of Lisanna's grave. Mirajane was to the side behind him, her eyes shadowed from view. Both of them were bandaged from wounds inflicted by The Beast.

"I'm…so sorry…" Elfman sobbed, "It's my fault Lisanna's…" He couldn't even finish the last word as his grief was too deep.

"It's not your fault." Mirajane retorted calmly, "Lisanna told you, remember? Every living thing dies sometime."

"You…were listening back then, sis?" Elfman asked her.

"Lisanna will live on forever in our hearts. Isn't that right?" Mirajane continued, and her sobs caused Elfman to turn and see the tears pouring down her face, "So… We're going to keep on living! For Lisanna's sake, too! And we'll never forget that!"

His eyes poured with tears as Mirajane's words reached for his heart. He had to keep living, not just for himself, but for Mirajane and Lisanna, too. He had to be there for their sake. He had to be the man who protects his sister, and fights for the sake of his other sister.

"Elfman!" Mirajane's voice shouted in the distance, and his eye suddenly refocused as he came back to reality, most of his body encased in stone. He could barely see Mirajane and Pastry off in the distance.

"Elfman, hang in there!" Mirajane shouted, reaching out with a free hand as tears fell from her face, "I can't…lose you, too!"

"Leon, you gotta snap out of it!" Pastry barked, flying above her as he pumped his fists angrily, "You plan to just give up and break your promise to her?!"

"Now, it's about time for the coup de'grace!" Sol stated eagerly behind the two men.

"Why's that?" growled Elfman, drawing the attention of the Element 4 mage, and seeing him glow with energy, shedding off the stone, "I swore that I'd never see your tears ever again, sis! Tell me, why are you crying?!" His body shined even brighter as the stone completely vanished.

"That light!" Mirajane gasped, "No, don't do it!"

"Who was it that made her cry?!" Elfman demanded, his shirt ripping off at the shoulders as he stood up. Leon was slowly starting to come around, as his hands started to twitch, and his fingers curled into fists.

"It's impossible!" Sol told him, "You are not capable of doing a full body Take Over!"

"Lisanna died…all because I was too weak…" Elfman growled, and tears formed from his eyes, "I don't want to feel that way ever again! I want to become a strong man, someone who can protect you, big sis! Let Mira go!" His body created a magic circle, and it started to transform, startling the trio watching him.

"Incredible!" Sol gasped, seeing Elfman transform, then the lights died down to reveal Elfman, no longer a man, but a monster with horns, fangs, green skin and fur. His eyes were glowing a purple hue. The Beast.

"He did it!" Sol gasped. "The Full-Body Take Over: **Beast Soul!** " Mirajane gasped. "Holy crap! I didn't know he had THAT in him!" Pastry gasped in shock.

"Non, non, non!" Sol whimpered, sweat pouring down his face, "With non of three, you misunderstand me! I wasn't trying to hurt you, but gave you such a harsh trial for you to finally overcome your difficult past, bonsoir! You are indeed a Man among men, monsieur Elfman! I, Monsieur Sol, believe you could overcome it! Eh?" Elfman merely tilted his head in response to this.

"Well then, if you'll be excusing me…" Sol stated, starting to walk away, only to get an uppercut hammer fist by Elfman. Enduring the pain, he flipped in midair as he summoned a magic circle, growling, "Curse you! **Plâtre Sonate!** " He unleashed a fist made of plaster at Elfman, which exploded on impact.

"Non, non, non… Don't let your guard down now." Sol stated with a smirk. He then felt a stomp next to him, and he stood petrified in fear, as Elfman was towering above him, a fist reeled back. He unleashed the punch, followed by the second fist. He kept pounding the ground, sending debris and dust everywhere, while Sol continued to cry out 'Non!' with every hit. Mirajane and Pastry could only watch the massacre take place.

When he was done punching him, Sol laid there, his body covered in lumps and injuries. A ghostly spirit of himself started coming out of his body, rising to the ceiling, only for Elfman to grasp ahold of it, and shove it back down into his body once more. "No! At least knock me out, s'il vous plait!" Sol pleaded. Elfman growled at him, not intending to give him any mercy.

"Elfman, that's enough!" barked a voice down below. Elfman glared down as he saw none other than Leon standing there, fully awake to the situation, and glaring up at him. "Leave him to me." he told him, "I'll make sure he suffers for all the pain he put you and Mirajane through. You go save your sister."

There was a moment's pause as Leon and Elfman looked at one another intensely, the former wondering if his words got through to the beast. "Elfman!" Mirajane's voice shouted outside the hole, drawing Elfman's eyes towards the direction it came from. The glowing purple blank eyes suddenly started to refocus, as if Mirajane's outcry was the thing to trigger him. He then dropped Sol, and leapt over Leon, heading outside.

"Aw, crap! He's coming for us!" Pastry exclaimed in shock, wondering what he planned to do to them as he raced down the arm towards Mirajane.

"Elfman… I wanna talk to you…" Mirajane spoke up, "Can you hear me?" Elfman landed on one of the giant's fingers pinching Mirajane, glaring down at her sister with blank eyes. "Please tell me you haven't lost your reason again?" Mirajane pleaded, worried about her brother's sanity. There was a couple seconds, then Elfman reached down, and pulled apart the fingers, pulling his sister in close to him. He had freed her from capture.

"I'm sorry, big sis…" Elfman suddenly spoke up for the first time, "You must never have wanted to see me like this again. And after what happened to Lisanna, I thought I never would want to do a Full-Body Take Over!"

"You haven't lost your reason!" Mirajane stated, grateful to hear her brother's woes coming from the monster form he was in. Pastry looked to the scene ahead of him, then back at the hole, and went to check on Leon's condition.

"But I didn't know what else to do." Elfman continued, showing his own pupils in the Beast's eyes, "I had to get stronger to protect you and Fairy Tail!"

Mirajane looked surprised at Elfman's words, then she broke into a smile as she said, "Stop beating yourself up about that. Lisanna's death wasn't your fault. Back then, too, you were just trying desperately to protect us…"

Elfman's body glowed and magic energy seeped away like vapor as he reverted back to his normal self, without a shirt. "But I failed." he grimaced, "I killed my little sister."

Mirajane drew in close, pressing her hands and head on his abs as she retorted, "But I'm still here. We decided together, didn't we? To live a full life for her sake…"

Elfman's face looked down at Mirajane. His face contorted as he tried to hold back what was to come, but he couldn't. He burst into tears as he sobbed loudly, "Big sis! I'm so glad you're alright!" He balled as he stood there, with his sister backing away from him, grinning at him.

"And how is crying going to help anything?" Mirajane asked in an amused manner. "I can't help it!" the big man sobbed back.

Back inside, Leon heard Elfman's cries, but also heard his woes, as well as Mirajane's sign of being alive. He turned back to Sol, who laid on the floor, barely conscious, and unable to move. Pastry flew into the room, seeing the scene take place.

"You caused enough suffering to those guys…" he spoke in a calm rage, while his arms, legs and head glowed, Requipping into the pieces of the Herculean God Armor he had, "Don't you realize how much Elfman had to suffer the guild of losing his sister? And you tormented him even further. I swore to her…to Lisanna…that I would be there to protect them. So don't expect mercy from me…"

"No…please wait…" Sol groaned, watching as Leon raised a fist, and his armor pieces glowed. " **Olympus Impact!** " Leon roared, and he slammed his fist hard down on Sol, making him scream in pain. The power of the attack causing Sol to rocket down several stone floors, before crashing out of the last one, and falling onto the feet of the giant, his eyes blank.

Leon stood there, glaring down at the hole he made, while Pastry flew up close behind him. "Looks like you remembered something." Pastry spoke up after a few seconds. Leon nodded in response.

"It was a faint memory, but…I know Lisanna…" he explained, recounting his dream, "I was friends with her, Mirajane and Elfman. I was also a member of Fairy Tail before, too. I also know you knew her and the Strauss siblings, too." He turned to Pastry and asked, "Tell me, why don't they know you or me?"

Pastry looked to one side, avoiding eye contact with Leon. Finally, he answered, "You should ask them instead. The answer might not be what you think it is, though."

"What are you talking about?" Leon questioned, "Why won't you give me a straight answer about my past?!"

"I told you, because it's too soon to give you the answer." Pastry answered, "Look, I know you want answers, but you are not ready to get them. If I did tell you, it would only leave you hurt and confused. So until then, I'm keeping my mouth sealed!"

Leon was just downright confused already. Why would he be hurt by his own memory? Was it that painful to know? Come to think of it, he did recall Porlyusica questioning what tragedy caused him to forget who he was. Was that the reason why Pastry wouldn't talk? Though he recalled a memory, he was given more questions than answers.

"Come on. Let's go back to where Mirajane and Elfman are." Pastry told him, and he flew off. Leon watched him leave, then started racing after him. He did consider Pastry a friend, but the more he withheld information like this, the more he had a hard time trusting him.

The two made it back to Mirajane and Elfman, who turned to see the two arrive. "You okay, Leon?" Mirajane asked him, "You looked like you were out of it, before."

"I'm fine." Leon answered, "How 'bout you two?"

"We're fine, but Mira figured something out." Elfman stated, turning to the hand drawing the magic circle, which was drawing it slower than before, "Seems like whenever we beat one of the Element 4, the giant draws the Abyss Break slower."

"Seriously?" Pastry asked, surprised at this, "How come?"

"Because the Abyss Break spell requires the four elements to power it; Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth." Mirajane explained, "Thanks to you, Natsu and Palva, we managed to destroy Fire and Earth."

"I get it. If we destroy the other two of the Element 4, we can stop the spell." Leon understood, "If that's the case, then we should stop standing here and get moving. Let's hope the others managed to find and stop them." Mirajane, Elfman and Pastry all nodded in agreement, and they took off down the arm, back into the inners of the giant.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gray was just making his way through the sideways hallway, rushing ahead to see where the power source was. "Geez, she couldn't have picked a worse time to do that…" he muttered. A minute back when Palva and Gray reached a corner, the former noticing a bathroom in the hallway, and realizing she really needed to 'go'. Gray raced on ahead, leaving her behind, knowing how long it might take her to, in better words, do her business.

He discovered a broken window above him, and noticed the dark clouds forming, which was odd, considering it was bright and sunny just moments ago. Deciding to check outside for any power source, he leapt up and crawled out of the window. As he was doing so, he noticed that rain was suddenly falling from the sky.

"That's weird. When did it start raining?" he asked, looking up at the sky.

"Drip, drip, drop…" muttered a voice from behind, and Gray turned to see a silhouette appear from the mist the rain was forming. Who appeared was someone Lucy, Pastry and Palva had all met at least once before.

"Hello. My name is Juvia, the Rain Woman of the Element 4. Drip, drip, drop…" she greeted him.

Gray scrambled to his feet as he glared at the approaching woman, muttering, "So you're one of the Element 4?"

"I never would have thought that two of the Elements would have been defeated. But do not underestimate me and Aria."

"Sorry to break it to you, but I don't go easy on people who hurt my friends." Gray warned her, "Even if they're women or children…"

Both of them stared at one another, with Gray giving an unforgiving glare at Juvia, who gave a blank glare back at him. For a while, they didn't move, and not sound was made other than the pattering of rain around them. Suddenly, one of the two's expressions changed; Juvia started to blush. She turned as she stammered, "Well then, I give up. You win. Goodbye."

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Gray questioned incredulously, "COME BACK AND FIGHT ME!"

Juvia's eyes were sparkling slightly as she felt her heart race. "There must be something wrong with me!" she stated, "Why is my heart beating so quickly?"

"Wait, you!" Gray ordered, racing after her, "Stop the giant!"

One heart pound made her realize what her sudden change meant. She wanted to make him her's. She couldn't hold herself back. " **Water Lock!** " she shouted, creating a pressurized orb of water around Gray, causing him to float in the dead center of it. He gasped in pain as the injury he gained from his fight against Lyon suddenly opened up, and blood was added to the water around him.

"Oh, no! I had no idea he was injured!" Juvia exclaimed frantically, "Whatever should I do?! Maybe I should release him…!"

Before she could do anything, Gray poured his Ice magic into the sphere of water encasing him, freezing it, then broke it apart, releasing himself from the spell. Juvia was just amazed at the sight of the magic. "He escaped my Water Lock with Ice magic! He must be an ice mage…it's beautiful!" She then started to daydream of them being close together as she thought, _I'm water and he's ice. It's like we we're bound by fate! I finally found you, my handsome prince!_

"Trying to use a sneak attack on me?" Gray grimaced, rising back up to his feet, "You're playing dirty…"

Juvia got the wrong idea from this statement, feeling her heart pound even faster. She then watched Gray take off his shirt, and became even more infatuated as she thought, _Why is he stripping?! I'm not ready for this! We just met! Can't we take things slowly?!_

"I don't want to frighten a woman, but you'd better surrender immediately." Gray growled, preparing to use magic, "Otherwise, you're gonna get hurt! **Ice-Make Lance!** " He shot several ice lances from his palm at Juvia. However, instead of damaging her, they passed right through her, with the remains of her body turning into water. This sight startled Gray.

"My body is made of water." Juvia warned him, "Surprised? Drip, drip, drop…" "Water?!" Gray gasped, shocked at this sight. He had never even heard of anyone's body made of an element other than human flesh. **(Author's Note: He should go to the One Piece world. There's tons of them there.)** Her body even started to reform back to normal right before his eyes.

"That's right…I mustn't forget that my love is also my enemy." Juvia sighed, "Torn apart by strife, that is their tearful fate!" Her eyes became serious as she declared, "But I won't lose heart! This is farewell, my prince!" She produced a magic circle as she shouted, " **Water Slicer!** " She sent several blades of water at Gray, who leapt out of the way to avoid them. The blades shot towards the top of the stone structure behind him, and sliced the top part off.

"High powered water jets can even cut through steel." Juvia warned Gray, "Underestimate it's power, and you'll find yourself in a world of pain."

Gray, startled by this, growled as he pounded his fist into his palm again and roared, " **Ice Make Battle Axe!** " He unleashed an axe of ice that cut Juvia in half, but thanks to her water body, she was not affected by it.

"Can't you see you're wasting your time?" Juvia questioned him, "Your physical attacks have no effect on me. Drip, drip, drop…" Gray grimaced at the lack of damage he was able to put on the woman.

Just then, someone leapt out of the broken window Gray came out of. It was Palva, landing on the ground behind him, and drawing the attention of the two. "Man, it's a good thing I memorized your smell." she sighed, "It almost got covered by the rain, but…" She then noticed the woman in front of Gray and gasped, "Wait a minute…you were that woman that came out of the fountain!"

"We meet again, 'Fire Demon' Palva." Juvia greeted her, "So, instead of us capturing you, you decided to come here and try to face us. A worthy attempt, but a futile one at best. Especially since you are facing me, now."

Palva gritted her teeth as she tightened a grip on her lance. Gray merely glared harshly at Juvia's taunt towards her.

"Just give yourself up, along with Lucy Heartfilia, and maybe I can ask Master José to stop attacking Fairy Tail." Juvia ordered her calmly.

"Yeah, right!" Palva barked, "You made your choice by attacking the guild in the first place! Plus, Lucy's not coming with you guys, and neither am I!"

"That's right." Gray agreed, waving his arm in front of Palva like a guardrail, "Palva's one of us. I'd rather give up my life before handing her or Lucy over to you."

Juvia became so startled at this, that she dropped her umbrella. Her mind was trying to wrap her mind around what this meant. _Giving up his life? Giving up his life?!_ she repeated in her head, _Palva's my rival! Lucy's my rival! Both of them are my rival!_

She started to scream in pain as she grasped her head, causing Palva and Gray to become startled at this. "Oh, the pain!" she screamed, "What a harsh fate this is! My heart… My heart feels like it's going to rend asunder!"

"What's going on with her?" Palva questioned in surprise. "I don't know!" Gray answered, also as startled as her, "What's the matter?! Are you ill?!"

Suddenly, Juvia stopped grasping her head, and looked up at Palva with a demented, unforgiving face. "I will never forgive you…" she muttered, and her body exploded with water, "PALVA HIMEKA, I WON'T ALLOW YOU OR LUCY HEARTFILIA TO LIVE!"

"Wha-wha-what?!" Palva exclaimed, now completely bewildered by her change of personality. Before she could contemplate what the heck her deal was, Juvia unleashed a blast of water at her, sending her backwards a bit. The water dripped onto the ground, and steam formed from the heat of the water.

"Crap, that's hot!" Palva barked, shaking off the water, "Not as hot as my own flames, but still…!"

"Boiling water?" Gray gasped, seeing the steam, then looking at Juvia as steam came from her own body, "Why is she so mad at Palva and Lucy?!"

Juvia shot another blast of water at Palva, who saw it coming, and dodged to one side. "I'll show you a blast!" Palva barked, " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " She unleashed a blast of flames from her mouth at Juvia. However, as it traveled, the rain made the flames weaken. Juvia formed a blast of water against Palva's attack, diminishing it entirely, and causing her to be blasted back by more scalding water.

"Palva!" Gray called out to her, watching her fall onto her back. "Your flames weaken against my rain!" Juvia roared at her, "Ever since I was born, the rain has always been with me. It increases the strength of my magic. You have no chance at beating me!"

"I won't let you get at her!" Gray barked, " **Ice-Make…** " Before he could even start, the stream of boiling water she shot off before suddenly turned and made a shot towards him, causing him to stop and leap over the attack. "It's fast!" Gray stated, "My Maker magic can't keep up!"

Juvia turned to Palva as she rose to her feet once more, slipping slightly by the water. "You are not worthy for my prince!" the rain woman barked at her, producing a cyclone of water above her head, and producing a face of rage on it, "Prepared to be destroyed by my jealous rage!" She sent several jets of water from the cyclone, causing both her and Gray to avoid the attacks.

"Why are you so jealous?!" Gray demanded. "Hell if I know!" Palva barked back, spinning upwards to dodge the attack, then twirling her lance to block another attack. She then thought on the what she said, and came to some kind of conclusion as she landed on the ground.

"Wait a second…are you thinking that I like Gray?" she questioned. Juvia steamed with rage at these words, and roared, "YOU CANNOT HAVE HIM!" She sent a blast of water at Palva, who ducked underneath to avoid the attack.

"Guess that was a yes." she muttered, then saw the stream of water loop around and come down at her. She narrowly escaped the attack, sliding to one side and nearly falling off the giant. "Jeez, that was close!" Palva sighed in relief, then turned as Juvia gritted her teeth at Palva, glaring intensely at him.

"Look, if that's the case, then you have nothing to worry about!" Palva assured her, "I have no interest in that half-naked, coal-haired idiot!" "Hey!" Gray barked, angry at her insults to him.

"Besides, I'm fire and he's ice." Palva added, "We don't match up at all. You, on the other hand, are water, so I think you and him can make a better couple. You can have him!"

These words suddenly washed away most of the rage in her heart. She seemed so shocked and blessed to hear this, as her face reverted to the love-sick form she was in before. "You…think he and I are a better couple?!" she squealed in joy.

"What the hell, Palva?!" Gray demanded, "I didn't say I was interested in picking up chicks!"

Palva drew in closer to him as she whispered, "Look, she's obviously head-over-heels for you, so lets use this as a diversion, okay? Besides, I didn't say all of what I said was true…at least, not the last half."

Juvia saw the two draw in closer to one another, and gave off the wrong idea as to what she was doing. "Wait…are you whispering sweet things into my beloved's ears?!" she demanded, her body steaming again, her rage resurfacing, "You lied to me!" Palva and Gray turned in shock to see her unleash another blast of scalding water at the two.

" **Ice Make Shield!** " Gray shouted, creating an icy shield in front of him and Palva, protecting them from the attack. However, the shield was rapidly melting from the water's temperature.

"Man, this water's boiling hot!" Gray grimaced.

"What made her think I was whispering sweet nothings to you?!" Palva demanded, "I don't even know how!"

"I already told you before, I am at my most powerful in the rain." Juvia warned Gray, "And since the rain is always with me, no one can defeat me!"

"Gray, we need an escape plan!" Palva barked at him, "My fire's too weak in this rain!"

"Yeah, I know!" Gray barked, and he quickly thought of an idea. Using the ice and water together, he managed to create an explosion of steam that covered Palva and Gray. Using this opportunity, they escaped through the broken window, heading back inside again.

"He used the steam as a smoke screen?" Juvia asked, approaching the hole, "And he even decided to take my rival with him?" She gritted her teeth as she angrily growled, "I won't let this be. He's mine, and I won't let her have him!"

Down below, the two Fairy Tail mages raced through the hallway, as far as they could from Juvia. "We don't have time to fight this crazy water chick!" Gray barked, looking outside to see the magic circle forming, "We gotta find a way to stop the giant from casting the Abyss Break spell!"

"I fully agree." Palva seconded, "Besides, that girl is screwed in the head if she can't see the difference between me whispering a plan and whispering something lovey-dovey. I wouldn't be surprised if she forgotten the reason why she's trying to stop me!"

Suddenly, a gush of water broke through the window above the path ahead of them, creating a tidal wave that swallowed them both.

"So hot! My skin's feeling like it's gonna burn off!" Gray gargled. "She just won't give us a break!" Palva added, doggie-paddling as hard as she could through the water, not as badly affected by the heat as Gray was.

The two were shot out of another window with the explosion of a geyser. Juvia was nearby as she shouted, "This is the end for the both of you!" she shouted, and she unleashed a blast of scalding water at the two, mainly aiming for Palva.

"Oh, yeah?!" Gray barked, turning around and taking the full blunt of the attack, shocking Juvia and Palva. The Maker mage poured his freezing powers into his hands as he roared, "Freeze up!" Miraculously, despite the heat of the water, he was quickly freezing it as he drew closer to Juvia, making her freeze up with her attack.

Palva landed on the ground behind Gray as he froze Juvia solid. _I should be angry that he froze my boiling water, but…_ Juvia thought, and her cheeks grew rosy as she found herself in a provocative position, with Gray grabbing ahold of one of her breasts upon freezing her. Gray was shocked at what he had done, while Palva barked in fanged teeth, "PERVERT!"

"It's not what you think! I didn't mean to!" Gray exclaimed hastily. He was soon stopped as Palva leapt up and somehow wrapped her mouth around the back of his head, chomping hard. His embarrassing position was given a painful addition as he screamed in pain from Palva's bite.

"Let go of her, you perv!" Palva barked through her gaping mouth, "Think you could use an opportunity like this to touch her like that?!"

"Ow! Let go of me!" Gray shouted, dancing in one place, "I told you, I didn't mean to do that!" He finally withdrew his hand from Juvia's chest, freeing her from the ice at the same time. He then used his free hand to join with his other and, after a painful struggle, pulled Palva off of him.

"He freed me from the ice?" Juvia questioned, looking up admiringly at Gray, "He's so nice…"

"What the hell was that for, Palva?!" the Ice mage barked angrily, "Why'd the hell did you decide to chomp on my head?!"

"Hey! You're the one who decided to grasp ahold of her!" Palva barked back, "When I said 'you can have her', I didn't mean you could fondle her!"

"As I said before, it was complete accident!" Gray stated with a blush.

"Oh, right! And I assume you wouldn't do the same to other girls like me, right?!" Palva accused him.

"It's not like I want to!" Gray barked back, "Besides, you barely have anything to grasp ahold of!"

This statement caused Palva to pop a blood vessel. If there was one thing she hated to be informed about, it's that she lacked a chest like her sister's. "I HAVEN'T REACHED MY GROWTH SPURT YET!" she shouted at him, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY CRAP LIKE THAT TO ME, FONDLE FROST!"

"Look, can we just forget about that?!" Gray demanded, turning to the still crouching Juvia, "We gotta fight her so we can find a way to stop the giant!"

"Fine. But I ain't gonna let this up!" Palva barked, "I'll be sure to tell Lucy and Erza what you did!" Gray was already embarrassed as it was, but now he was downright worried about what Erza would think of this.

Juvia rose to her feet as she stated to Gray, "No, I can't. I cannot bring myself to harm you. However…" She looked to Palva as she stated, "I cannot ignore Master José's orders. Though you are not my rival, you are my mission. I must defeat you and take you in."

"So you're saying you want to fight me, one-on-one?" Palva asked, frowning at her.

"I am." the rain woman answered, "Although, I am stronger than you, and I am always followed by the rain. Meanwhile, your magic is weakened by the rain. To sum it up, you stand no chance at beating me."

"She's got a point. You can't fight her alone!" Gray warned the female Dragon Slayer, "Just let me-."

"Gray, I don't need your help." Palva retorted, silencing him, "There's a good reason why I want to fight her…" Gray wondered what it was. Was it due to them trying to take her in? Was it because of them attacking Fairy Tail? Was it due to the fact that she was at a disadvantage that she wanted to show Juvia how wrong she was?

"The reason…" Palva started, and she looked at Gray with an irritated look, "…Is because I don't want you to fondle her again."

Gray seemed dead-panned over the head by this reason, while Juvia blushed horribly at the reminder. "How many times do I have to tell you it was an accident?!" he demanded.

 _That's true. If I defeat her, I might have to fight my beloved!_ Juvia realized, _But I don't want to fight him anymore. I want to protect him. After all…I…I really lo…lo…_

As she made these thoughts, the rain about the trio started to pour harder and harder on top of them. "Sheesh, now the rain's gotten stronger." Gray grumbled, looking up.

Palva looked to Juvia as she wondered if she was the cause of this increase of moisture. What was going through her mind to cause her to make it rain harder? Based on the blush marks, she kinda guessed what it was.

"Man, this rain is so gloomy…" Gray added. "Geez, don't say it like that…" Palva retorted.

The words Gray stated struck a chord in Juvia. And flushness in her cheeks instantly vanished. Instead, it was replaced with irritation and anger as she sunk to her knees, drawing the attention of the other two. "He's no different than all the others!" she realized, and she rose to her feet, literally steaming with rage, "You're all the same!" Palva and Gray both became perplexed at this sudden change of emotion once more.

"I have no need for love anymore!" Juvia roared, and she unleashed a blast of water from her entire body, which was a much wider and hotter than the last one. In fact, it was so hot, that Gray was unable to freeze it like before. Palva stabbed her lance tip into the ground, preventing herself from being carried away by the water.

"Love… Who needs love?!" Juvia roared, intensifying her blast of water. Gray ended up being blasted away, while Palva's body flailed as she grasped hard on her stuck lance.

 _I can't hold on for much longer!_ Palva thought to herself, _I need to get out of this torrent! But I can barely produce a spark! But…_ In the waters, she struggled to swing her leg around her lance, getting a better grip on it and her body as she pulled herself to the ground. She managed to pull both of her feet on the ground as she was close to running out of air. Putting all her strength into her feet, she dislodged her lance and pushed herself above the torrent, gasping for air as she made it midair.

"Okay, if that's how you're gonna play it…!" Palva growled, and she placed as much flames as she could without it dying out, and shouted, " **Fire Dragon's Pounce!** " She shot at Juvia, who saw her coming and sent dozens of streams at her from the large stream she was producing. Palva shifted her body about to avoid the attacks as they came, and ignited her feet as strongly as she could.

"What's with you?!" Palva demanded, trying to kick her with a Fire Dragon's Talon, only for her foot to pass through her water body. She was expecting this as she passed by her, skidding to a halt as Juvia stopped her attack and glared harshly at Palva. Gray fell on his back, grimacing as he rose to his feet again.

"I am constantly called 'gloomy' because of the rain that follows me!" Juvia snapped, unleashing Water Slicers at Palva as she avoided them all she could, "No matter where I went to, the rain was always with me, and the constant reminder of the gloominess it brings!"

"If you can't stand being called gloomy all the time, then why don't you just turn off the rain or something?!" Palva barked, slashing down a few Water Slicers with her lance.

"The rain is something beyond my control!" Juvia retorted, unleashing another torrent of water that Palva attempted to dodge, but it angled at her and carried her upwards, "I have never even seen anything beyond the clouds! It is the burden that I have to bear!" Palva's eyes flashed as the torrent of water sent her crashing down to the ground, slamming hard onto the steel structure of the giant.

"Palva!" Gray shouted, worried about the damage that was dealt to her. Palva was shown to be still okay, but struggling to rise up. Her lance was not in her grasp, but a couple meters away from her.

"I've lived my life as a gloomy rain woman, but Phantom Lord looked past that!" Juvia roared, her body raging with steam, "They welcomed me with open arms! I am one of the Element 4! A proud Phantom Lord mage! And I will serve my purpose by taking you in, Fire Demon!" She blasted a powerful jet of water from her palms, sending it towards where Palva laid. Gray was in shock. He couldn't make it in time to get to her.

Suddenly, Palva's eyes flashed a harsh yellow as an explosion of flames bursted from her body, somehow repelling the watery blast from Juvia, who was in shock at this. "But how?! Her flames should be useless against my powers!" she gasped.

"So that's your problem?" Palva asked, in a low, yet unsurmountable rage as she rose to her feet, "You're angry because you can't control the rain, and it makes everything gloomy for everyone else? Do you honestly believe you have it worse off?"

She raised her head, and Juvia was frightened at the glare that Palva was giving her, which was intensified by the flames surrounding her and the ground below her. "I had to live my life with flames that are beyond my control! They caused pain, anguish and despair! They placed a bounty on my head! You think you have problems?! Try living my life!"

She unleashed another Fire Dragon's Roar at Juvia, only this one was exceedingly stronger than her last breath attack. It became so hot, that any rain that came at it instantly dissolved. Juvia was shocked at how it didn't seem to die down by the rain, and she leapt to one side. However, one of her hands ended up getting caught in the blast, and she cried out in pain as she felt the burn of the attack.

"Whoa! She actually got her!" Gray noticed the pain in Juvia's face.

The rain woman recoiled her hand, grasping it as she wondered, _How is she hurting me?! My water body couldn't be damaged like that by her flames! Unless…_ She looked at Palva, who's intensified rage increased the heat around her body, causing any rain a couple feet from her to dissolve. Her feet even caused the ground beneath her to glow red hot. Juvia came to the conclusion; her magic was too hot for her water body to defuse or avoid. It was beyond any flames she had ever seen before.

"You want to know a life without people loving you?!" Palva demanded, "Your rain brings life, while my flames bring death! Your rain leaves behind moisture to grow, while my flames leave behind ashes to be blown away! So I ask you again: DO YOU REALLY FEEL WORSE OFF THAN ME?!"

She unleashed a torrent of flames with a spin kick at Juvia, who leapt upwards to avoid the attack. _I have to drown her!_ she thought to herself, " **Water Lock!** " Palva got encased by a sphere of water for a short few seconds, but it soon evaporated before Palva could even start floating, creating steam that hit the floor.

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!" Palva demanded, her eyes glowing red with rage as she unleashed whips of flames from her hands, which created a ring around Juvia. She felt the heat around her burning her skin, and she tried to endure as best as she could. _So hot!_ she exclaimed in her mind, _I can't take this much longer! I need to stop her with all the water I have!_

" **Sierra!** " Juvia roared, enraging herself as she transformed her entire body into water. She spread her arms out, and unleashed a ring of water that countered the ring of flames around her. She then shot up high into the air, with Palva and Gray both watching her ascend.

"I won't let you defeat me!" Juvia barked at Palva, "I'll stop you with one of my best spells!" She produced a magic circle as she shouted, " **Water Nebula!** " Palva was barely phased as two columns of water surrounded her, forming a helix as it prepared to blast her.

The Fire Dragon Slayer, surprisingly, grinned in a sinister way as she crossed her arms in front of her, then spread them apart, unleashing an explosion of flames that not only stopped the attack, but caused the water and rain all around the area to instantly turn into steam, saved for Juvia, who's body was steaming from the heat. "She turned the rain into steam!" she gasped, grimacing in pain from the heat her body was feeling.

Through the steam, Juvia sensed the heat of where Palva is directly below her, and looked down to see flames combusting as the girl herself was shadowed by her own flames, looking up with red eyes. She felt the foreboding feeling as Palva roared, " **FIRE DRAGON'S ERUPTION!** " She blasted flames upward, and Juvia couldn't dodge it in time.

From Gray's point of view, all he could see was a large pillar of flames and Juvia's scream of agony. The blast blew away the steam, and Gray endured all he could from the shockwave. When he looked again, he could clearly see Juvia falling, with a lot of her clothing singed and burnt away, her eyes blank, and her expression in complete shock. She hit the ground on her back, where she laid there unmoving. Palva stood in place, the flames of her body burning all about her, with no signs of dying down.

"Man, that was a bit extreme…" Gray muttered, wiping the sweat off of his face, "But at least she got her. That's another one of the Element 4 down."

Gray started walking towards Palva when he stopped as he saw that Palva wasn't moving from her spot, and her flames were not disappearing. "Hey, you doing okay, Palva?" Gray asked her. Palva didn't answer, but she did turn her head towards Gray, and he was shocked to see the look of demented rage on her face. The Ice mage was shocked at her expression, and asked, "Palva? Hey, calm down, will ya?"

"SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT TRUE DESPAIR IS LIKE?" Palva asked, and her voice had changed slightly, almost like two different people were speaking simultaneously, "THEN I SHALL BURN THE TRUE MEANING INTO HER UNTIL SHE UNDERSTANDS IN HER AFTERLIFE!"

She walked towards Juvia as Gray shouted, "Hold on! You're going too far, Palva! She doesn't deserve to die!" Palva was ignoring Gray's words completely, as she only had eyes for Juvia.

"I said stop!" Gray barked, and he unleashed Ice-Make Lance at Palva, only for the icy attack to dissolve before it even came close to touching her. The attack didn't even draw her attention to him.

 _This isn't normal!_ he pondered, _I've never seen Palva act this way before! If I don't do something, she's seriously gonna kill her! But what can I do?!_ He looked all about, and saw the Dragonic Fang lying on the ground. He then recalled something he remembered Dori saying about Palva's flames; The only way she could control them is if she had the lance on hand. If this was the effect of her losing control of her flames, then the lance was the only thing he could use to stop her.

As Palva drew near to Juvia, she raised her hands up high, and created a white-hot ball of flames. She grinned maliciously down at her victim, ready to boil her alive in her next attack. Gray made a mad dash to the lance, and grabbed ahold of it. "Here goes!" he roared, and he placed all his strength into throwing the lance like a javelin, hurling it towards Palva's raised hands.

Somehow, it managed to slip underneath the palm of one of them, and she instinctively grasped the handle of it. Her expression changed to shock as the flames around her suddenly started to die away rapidly, until it disappeared altogether. Her eyes reverted back to normal as the expression of shock still showed upon her face. For a moment, she didn't move a muscle. Then just as suddenly as she went back to normal, she fell to the ground face-first, unconscious, her hand limply holding onto the lance.

Gray rushed to the girls as he shouted, "Hey?! Are you two okay?!" He got to Palva first, collapsing to his knees as he touched her. His hands sizzled the moment he touched Palva, and he recoiled them. "Damn, she's boiling hot!" he exclaimed. He then decided to cool her off with his magic, casting freezing air upon her. The reaction was her body sizzling from combination of freezing air with her hot body, and steam erupted from her. However, it was cooling her off, and Palva was starting to regain consciousness.

A groan from the Dragon Slayer caused Gray to stop and near her head, seeing her eyes flutter a bit. "You with me, Palva?" Gray asked her, "Finally cooling off?"

Palva lazily looked up at Gray and asked, very slowly, "What…what happened to me?"

"You tell me. You suddenly got enraged and nearly killed Juvia, here."

Palva tilted her head to the other side, and saw Juvia starting to come around, her moans of pain from the burns reaching her ear. The Dragon Slayer saw the damaged she caused her, and realized what she had done.

"No…not again…" she muttered, her eyes fluttering in slight fear, "I lost control again… I nearly killed someone again…"

Juvia was able to regain enough consciousness to look up at the sky and hear Palva stifling as she held back the urge to cry. For a moment, she had no idea what to say of what had just happened. Then, slowly she asked, "What…just happened?"

"Looks like the two of you are still in one piece. That's all that matters." Gray stated, going into a sitting position right next to the two, "Still, I didn't know you had that in you, Palva. What happened?"

"I let my rage get the better of me…" Palva sobbed, "I…I was just so irritated that she thought she had it rougher than me, that I lost control of my emotions. Whenever that happens, I completely lose control of my flames, and even my own sanity. Whenever I do get my lance back, I end up seeing…the area burnt away…and the people…" She couldn't finish her sentence, but her restrained cries of fear told enough of what she was gonna say.

Juvia tilted her head to see Palva's expression, the regret in her eyes of what she had done. "I'm sorry…" she sobbed, "I'm so sorry… I almost killed you… You don't deserve a cruel fate like that… No one does…"

Despite the fact that she was in pain, that she was staring at the person who nearly burnt her alive, and the fact that she was the person she was suppose to capture for her master, Juvia felt sympathy for the girl laying next to her. Thinking on what Palva had said before through her rage, she could honestly see she had a point; her flames caused more despair than her rain caused gloom.

Finally, she said, "Tell me something… Have your flames caused a lot of anguish in your life?" Palva squinted her eyes shut, her expression telling her the answer.

"Are you still gonna try to fight?" Gray asked Juvia, looking at her with a slight glare.

"Even if I wanted to, I can no longer move." Juvia answered, "But even if I could, I don't have the will to fight either one of you. I only feel guilt and sympathy towards you, Palva. I can't even begin to understand what you must've endured your entire life. Turning you in right now, after hearing your woes, just feels wrong. My deepest sympathies…" Palva didn't answer, but she did feel slightly touched at Juvia's words.

Just then, light hit Juvia's eyes, and she squinted to see the clouds above them starting to part, revealing the sun and the blue sky above. "So bright…" Juvia gasped, seeing the sky above, "The rain has stopped…"

"Look at that. It's finally clearing up." Gray stated with a grin.

"These are…clear skies…" Juvia mumbled, her eyes dazzled at the beautiful sight, "I've never seen them before…"

"Seriously?" Gray asked her in a surprised manner, "Well there you go. It's pretty, huh?" Juvia's eyes watered in joy as she made a sound of agreement.

"Looks like…you were able to suppress the rain." Palva told Juvia, now starting to recover from her cries, "I'm jealous. You no longer have the gloom over your head anymore."

Juvia looked back to Palva for a moment, then said, in a sympathized tone, "I wish you were able to be freed from your gloom as well."

Palva looked back, locking eyes with her for a moment, then she looked to one side as she retorted, "If only if it were that easy… For now, I need to recover from this."

"Yes. And I shall do the same." Juvia agreed, closing her eyes as she felt the sunlight hit her face, and felt the warmth of renewal spread over her, along with the burns she developed from Palva.

Gray looked to both Juvia and Palva, then looked up in the sky, wondering, _I wonder what that was all about. It's like Palva became a completely different person for a moment. There seems to be more than just her lacking the ability to control her magic. I wonder of Dori or Leon know about this, too?_

* * *

Back inside, the trio consisting of Natsu, Happy, and Dori were racing along the hallway, trying to find the source to stop the giant from casting the Abyss Break spell. By this time, Dori had already figured out what might be the possible source of magic of the Abyss Break.

"You're kidding me?" Natsu questioned her, "You're telling me the Element 4 creeps are the ones powering the giant?!"

"It's the highest probability." Dori answered, "The Abyss Break require the four elements of Fire, Water, Wind and Earth to use it, and one that size means they must need a great amount of magic for each element. Therefore, it only makes sense that the best sources could come from the mages themselves. So if we take them out, we can take down the entire giant."

"Wow, you really are smart, Dori!" Happy stated, "You certainly think better than Natsu, that's for sure." "Hey!" the said Dragon Slayer barked.

"I've been studying about magic my whole life." Dori explained, "Some things I just keep in memory just in case. It was all to find ways to help my sister."

Natsu looked down, thinking about Palva for a moment, before something else that came to his head. "Hey, I just thought of something pretty cool!" Natsu told the two, "I bet if we up José, then that'd end the fight, right?"

Dori and Happy both stumbled at the Dragon Slayer's crazy suggestion, then recovered themselves as Happy barked, "Are you completely out of your mind?! José's just as powerful as Master Makarov! Someone like you could never beat him, Natsu!"

"He's right!" Dori agreed, "Besides, fighting him is not gonna stop the Abyss Break from activating! We have priorities to take care of, Natsu, so get your head straight!"

"I know, I know!" Natsu responded, "But I just figured that since Gramps is out of commission, so someone else will have to do it!"

Happy suddenly stopped in his tracks as he felt like a heavy pan fall on his head from Natsu's words. "Natsu, you idiot!" Happy moaned, "I was trying really hard not to think about it, but you made me remember!" He then started to fall into despair as he grumbled, "Now I'm bummed. Master Makarov is not with us, and Erza barely survived the Jupiter Cannon, too. There's no way for us to defeat José, even if we did stop the giant."

"Snap out of it, Happy." Dori retorted, "As far as I can tell you, this battle isn't over yet. Look, we know how to stop the giant, so stop worrying about fighting José, right now. We can stop him, and save Lucy, my sister, and all of Fairy Tail from his wrath. That I can promise you."

"She has a point." Natsu stated, patting Happy on the head, "Don't worry about a thing. We can handle him!" Happy seemed surprised at the two's statements. He regained his hope as they restarted their running down the hallway.

 _I don't know what it is about him._ Happy pondered, looking at Natsu, _The master and Erza have more magic power, but there's something about Natsu that give everyone hope! Dori seems to have that same affect, too._

The trio suddenly entered a wide open room that looked like a throne room, and Dori suddenly sensed something upon entering. "Heads up, guys!" she ordered, stopping in her tracks. Natsu and Happy both looked to her just as a gust of wind suddenly shot underneath Natsu's feet, causing him to slip back and fall on his head. Dori backed off as the wind circled around, forming into a tornado in front of the staircase in front of them.

"How sad!" echoed a voice as Natsu sat back up, watching as a character revealed himself from the tornado. Dori recognized him as the bulky mage who appeared when she fought Gajeel before.

"I will make your wings of fire wither and fall, and your crystals loose their luster and crumble." he warned the two, "And all that will remain are a pair of hollow corpses."

"Say what?!" Natsu growled, rising to his feet angrily.

"I recognize him from before." Dori stated, "He's one of the Element 4, Natsu. The Wind element."

"My name is Aria!" the man introduced himself, raising his head to reveal tears pouring down his face from his blindfolded eyes, "I am the strongest of the Element 4. I have come to hunt a dragon and shatter a crystal."

"So you're a wind mage, huh?" Natsu understood, "I'm already used to you guys."

"Yeah, but this guy's a lot stronger than Eragor." Happy warned him.

"I don't know who that is, but I know for a fact we should not take this guy lightly." Dori warned him, readying herself to fight, "Let's fight him so we can stop this giant!"

"Right!" Natsu barked, pounding his fist into his palm, causing flames to come forth. The wind whipped around Aria as he was ready to take on the two of them, and he sadly knew that the two would stand no chance at beating him.

* * *

 **Sorry it took me so long to post another chapter. IRL work has been pretty hectic lately, so I've basically lacked the time and energy to get this in quickly. It might be slow for a while, but as soon as the summer's over, I should be able to get back up to speed again.  
**

 **Anyways, now you have two big battles in one chapter to settle with. And what's more, each of them adds more to my OCs backstories and powers. How does Leon know Lisanna? How come Palva suddenly lost control of her sanity? The more that's added, the more questions there are to ask, which is just how I like it until I reveal the answers. With two battles out of the way, only three more remain; Dori & Natsu vs. Aria, the battles against Gajeel and against José. Question is; who's gonna fight whom? Well, I will tell you Natsu will be facing Gajeel alone, just like in the anime/manga, but José's battle will have many twists, including a special surprise, as well. You will just have to find out about what's gonna happen next time!**

 **As always, leave a review on how you thought about this chapter, and keep favoring my work!**


	10. The Vengeance of Fire and Sisters!

PREVIOUSLY ON FAIRY TAIL:  
Fairy Tail's rival guild, Phantom Lord, was prepared to destroy all of Magnolia with a giant Abyss Break spell, so Natsu, Palva and a few others had to find a way to stop it from happening. Leon, Elfman and Pastry all worked together against one of the Element 4, Sol of the Earth, and nearly defeated them with the usage of Elfman's memories of how he killed his younger sister, Lisanna. However, after witnessing Mirajane anguish after begin trapped by Phantom Lord's giant, Elfman master the Full-Body Take Over: Beast Soul, laying some punishment on Sol before Leon send him crashing through the giant to the ground, and saving Mirajane.

Meanwhile, Gray and Palva encountered Juvia the Rain Woman of the Element 4, who seemed entranced by Gray and considered Palva a love rival. Despite the confusion, Gray and Palva were at a disadvantage with Juvia's rain and her scalding water created by her rage. However, her rage caused her to relinquish Palva of her Dragonic Fang, unleashing her raging flames against her. Her rage against Juvia's gloomy rain caused Palva to defeat her, and almost kill her had it not been for Gray giving her back her lance.  
Now, only one of the Element 4 remain, and through Mirajane and Dori's deductions, they learn they are the source to stopping the giant. And for Natsu, Dori and Happy, they managed to discover him; Aria, the strongest of the Element 4.

* * *

Back on top of the giant, Gray was crouching next to Juvia and Palva, the former unconscious and the latter barely conscious and breathing heavily. He looked back at Palva, recounting how she suddenly went ballistic in her battle against Juvia.

' _When she was fighting her at the beginning, it looked like Palva was just like Natsu whenever he got really pissed off.'_ Gray recalled, _'However, she suddenly started to change as the fight went on, as if she was no longer herself anymore. She said that she loses her sanity when she gets angry, but it seemed more than that. It was like she was becoming a completely different person. Do Dori, Leon and Pastry know about this?'_

"Gray!" "Palva!" a group of voices. The said mage turned to see Elfman, Leon, Pastry and surprisingly Mirajane racing towards him. "Elfman, Leon, Pastry." He noticed, then added, "Wait, why's Mira here, too?"

As soon as the group arrived, Pastry came down to Palva's side as he demanded, "What happened?! Is she gonna be okay?! Say something, girl!"

"Relax, she's fine." Gray assured him and the others, "She ended up losing control of her magic, but she defeated this other chick." He was indicating Juvia.

"That explains those burn marks." Leon understood, "Based on what I could tell, her flames must've been incredibly intense. How far did she go with her flames?"

"I'll explain it to you later." Gray assured him. He definitely needed to speak about this when Dori was also around.

"It looks like Palva burned through a lot of magical power." Mirajane stated, crouching right next to her, "She looks fatigued, too. Just how powerful could her flames get?

"Man, she must've had one hell of a manly fight." Elfman stated.

"That's not even close to accurate, since they are both female." Pastry corrected him.

"Well, in any case, there's only one left." Mirajane pointed out, "If we defeat the last of the Element 4, that will stop the Abyss Break."

"Mirajane figured it out. The Giant is powered by the Element 4." Elfman explained.

"We can do this, right guys?!" Mirajane declared, to which they nodded in response, and looked to the giant magic circle. Compared to how they saw it before, the giant's hand was moving much slower than before, meaning Mirajane's hypothesis on defeating the Element 4 was correct.

"Fire, water, wind, and earth." Gray listed.

"Just like Mirajane said. The giant is powered by the Element 4." Elfman stated.

"Since fire, earth and water are out of the way, that leaves wind." Pastry deduced, turning to Mirajane, "Any idea who that might be?"

"The final one is Aria of the Great Sky." she answered, "He's the strongest of the Element 4, and he's the one who took the master's magical power! He's a fearsome opponent."

"Porlyusica said that the magic spell was a Wind spell, Drain." Leon recalled, "That's the one spell we can't get touched by. Anything else we should be worried about?"

"Yes. His eyes." Mirajane added in.

"What about his eyes?" Gray asked her.

"Aria usually has his eyes closed." she explained, "By closing his eyes, he suppresses the overwhelming magical power he possesses, it seems."

"So it's all in his eyes?" Elfman asked.

"That's right. So when we find him, we need to defeat him before he opens them up." Mirajane instructed them, "If he does open them, you might lose any chance at victory."

Gray and Elfman looked worried, while Leon looked down at Palva, pondering. He could think of someone else who also restrains her magic for when it's necessary.

"Anyways, let's get moving. The sooner the better." Mirajane told the team.

"I'll carry Palva with us." Leon told them, "We can't have her here by herself, especially in her helpless state."

"Right. If someone else from Phantom Lord comes and sees her, they will surely take her in." Pastry stated, "Let's make sure no one does that." Gray, Elfman and Mirajane all nodded in agreement. It was part of the reason why they were fighting in the first place.

* * *

Back inside the large room, an explosion took place, and Dori and Natsu skidded backwards from Aria, who somehow remained uninjured by their attacks. Both of them were panting and slightly injured, but otherwise still able to continue.

"You've taken my attacks, and are still standing." Aria stated, "Very impressive."

 _'What's with this guy?!'_ Happy questioned, _'I've never seen Natsu in such a one-sided fight. Even Dori's fighting with him, and they're still not able to damage him.'_

"Why you…!" Natsu barked, racing towards Aria with a flaming fist. "Natsu, hold on!" Dori shouted at him, but too late.

"Let's see how you fair against my Airspace magic." Aria declared, placing his palms in front of him in a formation, creating an invisible force of wind magic.

"I don't see any Airspace magic!" Natsu barked, but he ended up slamming into an invisible wall that sent him reeling backwards. He flipped back onto his feet again, but he

"An invisible magic?!" Happy exclaimed. "I knew it. Airspace magic allows a user to manipulate the airspace around an environment." Dori explained, "It's invisible, so it makes it difficult to see or even detect easily. This guy's pretty good at using it."

"So you can still stand, Salamander?" Aria questioned.

"I can take whatever you dish out." Natsu growled, "Never underestimate the power of a Fairy Tail mage. I'm all fired up now!"

"Natsu, calm yourself!" Dori ordered him, "You can't beat him if you let him get to you!"

" **Airspace Seven!** " Aria shouted, creating a magic circle with his palm. Suddenly, multiple blasts of air suddenly blew up from around Natsu and Dori, causing the two to be sent flying in pain, but both skidded to a halt on their feet.

"Are you alright?!" Happy asked Dori, who stood right next to him.

"No worries." she answered, "In fact, I'm done testing him out." Happy seemed surprised at this. She was only testing him out.

"As far as I can tell, he's holding back his magic." Dori stated quietly, "I bet it has to do something with that blindfold that's suppressing it."

"He's holding back his magic, and he's this strong?!" Happy questioned, "Then we stand no chance at beating him!"

"I told you not to worry." Dori repeated, "In fact, I have an idea. I need to get a hit in before he unleashes his magic at full power, but I need to wait until he's vulnerable. I'm gonna need your help in this, Happy." The cat was confused at this. What could he possible be able to do against a guy like this?

"There's always someone better, young dragon…" Aria told Natsu, who was giving a struggling glare.

"Then how about this!" Natsu barked, producing his own magic circle, " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " He blasted flames from his mouth at Aria, who suddenly vanished before they hit him.

"He disappeared!" Happy exclaimed. "No. He's moving through the airspace!" Dori corrected him.

Natsu looked about, wondering where he went to. Suddenly, he heard Aria's voice echo, "I shall end this with a gift, Salamander. Let me give you the same suffering I gave to Makarov, along with the girl, as well…"

He suddenly appeared right behind Natsu, who turned to see him chant, " **Airspace: Drain!** " Dori's eyes flashed at this as two magic circles encased Natsu, and he started screaming in pain as he felt his magic starting to be pulled from his body. At the same time, Aria started to cry as he balled, "So sad! No matter the mage, inside this airspace, their magic power will empty!"

" **Crystal Launcher!** " Dori shouted, slamming the ground and forming a magic circle. A platform of crystal suddenly came underneath Natsu's feet, and launched him high into the air, out of range of the magic. He stopped screaming in pain as he squinted to see what Dori had done. Aria also turned to her, realizing she had stopped him from draining Natsu of his magic.

"Let me end this guy, Natsu!" Dori declared, "Happy, let's fly!" Happy hesitated a bit, but decided to give it a shot as he grabbed her by the back, produced his wings, and sent her airborne.

"It's pointless. Even high in the air, I can still attack you." Aria warned her, " **Airspace: Seven!** " At this, Dori closed her eyes, and she started to sense the wind gathering in certain pockets around her. "Move back!" Dori shouted to Happy, and the flying blue cat pulled her back just as the air exploded all about them. Some came close, causing the two to jostle in the air, but otherwise remained unscathed.

"We dodged them?!" Happy exclaimed, shocked at how they did that. "How did she do that?!" Natsu gasped.

"Very impressive. You sensed my magic." Aria stated, "Not many are skilled enough to detect it."

"Let's just say you're not the first mage I faced who knew a bit of Airspace magic." Dori stated, curling a fist in front of her, "My turn. **Crystal Pinnacle!** " She encased her fist in an obelisk of crystal, from her lower arm down, and she raised it at an angle.

"Is that all? Are you planning to attack me with that?" Aria questioned, raising his hands in front of him, "Your crystals will never break through my Airspace, not matter what it is."

"Then how about I introduce you to my next level of magic!" Dori declared, placing her free hand on her crystalized fist, " **Lacrima Release: Air!** " Her hand suddenly pulsed energy into the crystal, causing it to vibrate and glow as wind started swirling around it. " **Crystal Diety: Njord!** " she roared, raising the Crystal Pinnacle high, which glowed with a foggy white color as wind surrounded it.

"What the… I never see her do that!" Natsu gasped quietly as he landed on the side. Aria even seemed intrigued by this sudden new technique.

"My magic doesn't just revolve around crystals, but lacrima, too." Dori explained, "By imbuing my crystals with different kinds of lacrima, I can create all kinds of techniques. And guess what? My bodies chalk-full of all kinds of lacrima I've absorbed thought the years!"

She unleashed a blast of wind with a thrust of her fist, causing a cyclone to shoot out at Aria. He created a shield in front of him with his Airspace magic, stopping the attack from hitting him. However, as the wind blew over, Dori suddenly appeared through the wind, directly in front of Aria. He was startled at this as she reeled her fist back, and sent it forward. Instead of the shield blocking it, she ended up punching him hard in the gut, and causing a blast of wind to follow through, sending him flying backwards into the staircase, where he crashed.

"You got him!" Happy stated, shocked at how she went through his barrier.

"Airspace is a powerful offense and defense magic, but it can only sustain a form for so long." Dori stated, "He can only unleash the airspaces in short pulses. That's what I was testing; to see how long he could sustain his attacks."

Now it all made sense to Natsu and Happy. When she said she was testing him, she meant the longevity of his attacks. Now that she knew of his limits, she could stop him.

Suddenly, Aria vanished from the spot he laid, causing everyone but Dori to be concerned. "An amazing deduction. I never once met a mage as wise as you before." Aria stated, "But this is merely a fraction of my power. As sad as it may be, you cannot stand to defeat me. Now, I shall drain you of your magic, just like I was going to do to Salamander."

"Drain…" Dori muttered, quietly waiting. She knew that attack well, as she had seen it used once before on her sister. The results, however, were disastrous.

She suddenly detected a presence behind her, and she didn't need to turn around to know it was Aria, preparing to use Drain on her. "Behind you!" Happy exclaimed. "Watch out!" Natsu roared.

Dori was well prepared to counter him, but before either side attack, someone came in with a flying kick to Aria, causing him to fall back and use Teleportation to disappear. That person was Erza.

"Erza!" Happy exclaimed. "Wait, she's here?!" Natsu gasped, "But I thought she was too injured to move!"

"Thanks for that, but are you gonna be okay?" Dori asked Erza. She returned her answer by looking at her with a glare, frightening Natsu and Happy. "Guess I'll take that as a yes." the Crystal Mage understood, not afraid of her glare, but knew she was not gonna back down from this fight.

The two ladies suddenly saw Aria reappear on the opposite side of the room, closer to the door. "So you're the one who harmed our master." Erza deduced.

"The great Erza Scarlet?" Aria noticed, grinning, "How sad. For me to have the head of not only Salamander and this young lady, but Titania as well!"

"The only head who's gonna be taken is yours." Dori retorted angrily.

"You're the bastard who laid hands on him. I will avenge him!" Erza growled. Natsu and Happy could only watch the two ladies, worried for Erza, but also knew Dori was there right with her. If anything, he could tell the two were gonna put the hurt on him. His thoughts were halted slightly when he heard Aria chuckle.

"I have seen the power of you, young lady." Aria told Dori, "But since I get to face Erza, the I suppose I have no choice but to fight seriously!" He reached up and removed his blindfold, opening his eyes, revealing maroon pupils, which suddenly transformed into a partner like a circle with an X through it. Immediately, the team in the room could feel the increase in pressure as Aria's magic suddenly rose to another level.

Suddenly, Dori sensed another powerful surge of magic, coming from outside. She turned to where she sensed it, and figured out what it was. ' _Crap! The Abyss Break spell is about to fire!'_ she realized.

"Now come, ladies." Aria taunted, and a surge of wind started to surge around him intensely, "Step into **Airspace of Death, Zero!** This airspace will consume all life within it!" The wind intensified, consuming everyone, and sending Natsu and Happy flying backwards. Erza and Dori, on the other hand, were unfazed by it, but were angered by this attack.

"Magic that consumes life?!" Erza growled, summoning a sword to her hand, "How can you take people's lives so easily?!"

"People like you who enjoy using magic to kill are the people I hate the most!" Dori growled, stomping the ground, and summoning a slab of crystal with a sword-shaped piece of crystal on top, "You are the scum that needs to learn their place!" She dislodged the sword from the crystal plinth, and released her Crystal Pinnacle, causing the wind energy to transfer to her blade instead.

"Now, let's enjoy this!" Aria calmly stated, his eyes glowing red. "Erza! Dori!" Natsu shouted to the two inside the vortex.

"I'll cut a path for you, Erza!" Dori declared, charging ahead of Erza as they dashed through the attack to Aria.

"Can you withstand this Airspace?!" Aria questioned, and he unleashed a powerful force of airspace and small specks of light at the two. Dori was not even phased as she placed both hands on her crystal sword, and tightened her grip as she transferred more wind lacrima magic into it. Suddenly, the blade became encased in a green hue as the magic energy started to look like a chainsaw blade encasing the sword. She roared as she spun around and unleashed a pair of slashes, sending the energy flying in an X-shape as it cut cleanly through the attack, immediately dissipating it.

"Impossible!" Aria gasped, shocked at what had just happened, "She slashed through my Airspace so easily?!"

"You like death so much, then here comes yours!" Dori roared, "Erza!" Erza responded by leaping upwards, glowing as she Requipped into a new armor. " **Heaven's Wheel!** " she shouted, taking on said armor as she cross-slashed right past Aria, followed swiftly by several dozen swords that rained down on him afterwards, " **Blumenblatt!** " Aria roared in agony as he took the full blast of the attack, falling to one side, defeated. Erza landed gracefully to the ground again, turning to Dori, who nodded in acknowledgement for her victory.

"They both took him down so easily!" Happy exclaimed. "They're both dangerous, that's for sure!" Natsu added fearfully.

"The likes of you should never have been able to beat the Master." Erza told Aria, turning to him with a glare, "You will only be remembered as a sobbing coward who fell by our hands."

"The only thing you had the advantage in was the element of surprise, and that's all." Dori added, glaring angrily at him, "Otherwise, you're totally pathetic. Death is too good for you."

"That's…so sad…" he moaned, and he went unconscious. At the same time, Dori sensed the magic energy outside dissipate. The Abyss Break was stopped completely. The Element 4 was defeated.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake around them, and they felt as if they were falling towards the ground. "Wha-wha-what's going on?!" Happy exclaimed, holding to the ground with one paw.

Dori knew, but couldn't say, for she was growing weak. She used a lot of magic energy in this fight, and it took its' toll on her. Evidently, Erza was also feeling the strain, for she had not fully recovered from Jupiter before this. She glowed as she went into normal garments, and started to fall backwards, while Dori fell down to her hands and knees. Natsu dashed in just in time to save Erza from falling on her back entirely.

"Erza! Hold on!" Natsu told her, worried for her and Dori, who he turned to and asked, "You okay, Dori?!"

"Looks like…the Element 4 was defeated…" the Crystal mage moaned, looking up at Natsu, "They can't power the giant anymore…"

* * *

In another area close to their position, Leon and Gray's team were gathered together, looking about as they could feel the area shake, while the ground seemed to fall underneath them. Leon was holding Palva in a piggyback position, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding them in front with her Dragonic Fang.

"What the…?!" Elfman gasped. "Is this Natsu and Dori's doing?!" Gray questioned.

"It sounds like something powering down." Leon listened.

"They did it!" Mirajane cheered, "The Abyss Break is terminated!"

"If that's the case, then someone defeated the final member of the Element 4!" Pastry realized, looking ahead, "Way to go, Dori, Natsu!"

"Let's go meet up with them!" Gray suggested, "Any idea where they could be?"

Suddenly, Leon could hear Palva weak cries as she was waking up again. She was trying to say something. "Palva, you waking up?" he asked her, turning to her as she slowly opened her eyes. Everyone gathered around, grateful to see her wake up, but wondering what she was trying to say.

"Two…two floors…up…" she moaned, "Straight…ahead…Natsu…"

"Is she telling us where he is?" Elfman asked.

"Gotta be. She's got an amazing sense of smell, especially for special flames." Pastry stated, "If she says he there, then we'd better go find him. Dori and Happy must be with him, too." They all nodded in agreement, and took off to where Palva directed them.

* * *

In the control center, José stood there, gritting his teeth in anger. "Impossible…" he growled, "Those pieces of trash from Fairy Tail managed to take out the entire Element 4?!" Some of the guild mages behind him were terrified at their master's anger.

"Where is Gajeel?!" he demanded, turning to the others.

"Well, the truth is…we don't know where he is…" a spiky-haired mage answered fearfully.

"I'm right here, Master." said a familiar voice. Gajeel had just entered the room, and he was carrying a limp body in his left arm. It was Lucy.

"If the Element 4 were beaten by trash, that just makes them trash as well." he chuckled, "Guess you should've just sent me out there to take them on in the first place."

"So you've returned, Gajeel." José noticed, "And I see you came bearing a gift."

"Yeah, I picked you up a little something while I was out." Gajeel stated, dropping Lucy onto the ground next to him.

"That was quick." José stated, "But you did an impressive job finding her, Gajeel."

"Never underestimate the nose of a Dragon Slayer." Gajeel answered, rubbing the said body part. The other mages were also shocked at Gajeel's achievement.

"She is still alive, right?" José asked, "She's useless to us if she is dead."

"True, I did rough her up a bit." Gajeel considered, then he grinned as he declared, "Let's find out!" And he kicked Lucy hard in the gut, shocking the mages, excluding José. She was sent flying into the wall, but fell to the ground again, coughing profusely. "Yep! She's alive and kicking!" he snickered, "Though the big guy who was with her might be dead."

The Phantom Lord master mouth contorted into a grin, pleased at these results. "Excellently done, Gajeel." he commended him, "As expected from the strongest man in my entire guild."

He then picked up the PA, ready to declare the news to all those fighting in and out of the giant. "Attention all of you Fairy Tail." he announced, "Please listen carefully to this voice." Gajeel went to Lucy and picked her up by her hair, causing her to scream in agony.

In one area, Elfman gasped, "I know that scream!" "It's Lucy's!" Pastry exclaimed, recognizing it.

"But how did they find the hideout?!" Mirajane questioned.

"We've captured Lucy Heartfilia." José announced, "So we've accomplished one of our objectives. Thus, we have two final goals that remain to be fulfilled. The capture of Palva Himeka, and whipping you off the face of the earth! You worthless Fairy Tail scum!"

He then placed the mike down, and turned to walk out of the room. "Keep an eye on Lucy." he told Gajeel, "There are still a number of bugs still in my guild hall, including our second prize."

"You talking about Salamander and that Pyro Princess?" Gajeel asked.

"Yes, them, and their friends." José answered, "I'll show them there won't be any more miracles. I'll clean them up myself!"

* * *

Back in the large room, Natsu was still holding Erza in his hands as he furiously looked at where the voice was coming from. "Damn him!" he growled.

"So they got Lucy." Dori grimaced, "Damn it! We didn't even consider them still going after her! How can I be so stupid?!"

"Calm down, Dori." Happy told her, while Natsu looked a bit concerned at her anger.

"It…wasn't your fault…" Erza's weak voice spoke up, and everyone turned to her to see her wake up.

"Erza!" Natsu gasped, worried about her condition.

"We all…were trying to protect…both your sister…and Lucy…" Erza told her, "But…it's not too late to save her…" She turned to Natsu as she continued, "Natsu. Unleash…your power." Natsu seemed startled at what she was asking.

"You have…the power…sleeping within you…" she told him, "Believe in yourself… Break through…and call it forth. Now is the time… Protect Lucy… Protect the guild! Go, Natsu! You're the only one who can surpass me!"

Natsu gritted his teeth. She wanted him to surpass her. She wanted him to protect Lucy, Palva and everyone else in the guild. She was counting on him to surpass the powers he has, and become even stronger. If that's what she wanted, then he had to do it. He had to unlock the full power of his magic.

He placed Erza on her back again as he stood up. Dori and Happy could feel the intense increase in his magic, causing his clothes to flutter like they were in an updraft. His body then glowed with flames, which bursted forth and took on the form of a dragon. He began to roar with rage himself, tapping into every corner of his being, unleashing the full power of his magic.

Erza smiled at this, while Dori was just amazed. Considering she had only seen Palva reach powerful flames such as this before, Natsu was doing the same, and still fully controlling them.

She stepped forward as she told Natsu, "Take this." she concentrated a magic circle in her palm, and in a few seconds, she produced a orb that was glowing hot red. "This fire lacrima should help you if you need it." she told him, "It's filled with a ton of flames."

"I got it." Happy told her, flying to her and taking the orb from her, placing it in his bag.

She turned to Natsu again as she added, "You'd better save Lucy, you hear? Afterwards, you'd better help my sister tap into the power of controlling her flames. I'm counting on you, Natsu Dragneel!"

Natsu looked back at her for a second, then nodded in assurance. "You can count on it, Dori." he answered, then to his partner, he declared, "Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" he responded, producing his wings. Natsu unleashed flames at his feet, and rocketed up to the ceiling breaking through it, with Happy following after him.

A minute later, Dori had just settled Erza right next to one of the pillars nearby, sitting herself down next to her. "We should rest up." she told Erza, "I get the feeling the worst isn't over, yet."

"Agreed." Erza stated, "Even if the Element 4 were defeated, we still have to deal with the Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel, as well as Master José, who's one of the ten Mage Saints. If we are to fight him, we have to be at our best."

"True. That battle with Aria was a bit rough." Dori stated, looking at the hand she used to make the Crystal Pinnacle, "Using the Crystal Deity spell requires a good bit of my magic. I have to recover from using that."

She then looked to where Aria laid, then back down at her legs, particularly the right one with the longer stocking. She started getting flashbacks to Natsu almost being sucked dry of his magic, then of something that happened five years ago.

"That guy's Drain spell…" she started, getting Erza's attention, "It certainly brought back bad memories."

"What memories are you talking about?" she asked, "Have you seen that spell before?"

Dori nodded, then said, "Five years ago, someone used that spell on my sister. They thought it was the only way of capturing her, and it almost did work. However…"

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ Five years ago, an eleven-year old Dori was sent crashing to the ground, covered in injuries, while surrounded by a group of mages, about ten or so. She looked up to see someone performing the Drain spell on the eight-year old Palva. She was screaming in pain as she felt like her body was being pulled apart by the magic.

"Stop! You're gonna kill her!" Dori exclaimed in horror. She was answered with a foot to the head that sent her face into the ground.

"Shut up, squirt!" the muscular guy pinning her down chuckled, "We're doing you and the whole world a favor by eliminating her magic!"

"Honestly, we don't know why you want to stay with her?" questioned a goggle-wearing mage, "Are you just that stupid to not take advantage of her bounty?! You can't seriously see her as a sister, can you?"

"She's…innocent of her powers." Dori grimaced, "She has no control over it. She needs help!"

"Well then, let us help you out…by taking her magic away from her!" one of the mages taunted, then to the one casting the Drain Spell, he demanded, "Is she finished?!"

"She's almost drained dry." the wind mage answered with a snicker, "Just a few more…" He then suddenly noticed something strange about Palva. Her screams of agony were starting to change. They became as if they were roars of a demonic beast. Her body was no longer flailing, but tense. Her hands started to flex like they were claws ready to slash.

"Hey, what gives?" one of the guys demanded, "She's suppose to be weak at this point!"

"I don't know!" the wind mage answered in shock, "She should be lifeless at this point! I don't get what's going on!"

Palva's eyes suddenly glowed a red hue as she turned to the wind mage in fury, and in a couple seconds, the guy was suddenly sent flying by a powerful force, crashing into the stone wall nearby, and breaking through it. He laid on his back, unconscious.

All the other mages were stepping back in horror as Dori looked up, seeing her younger sister standing there, her magic energy returning to her, and her body igniting in flames. "YOU…SHALL NOT TAKE MY MAGIC!" she roared, and she charged at the group like a demon ready to kill. _(Flashback ends)_

* * *

Erza was in shock at what she had just described the situation back then. "Never in my life did I ever see my sister act that way before." Dori explained, "It was like she was no longer human. She killed every one of those mages like it was nothing. And…" She rolled down her right stocking leg, and Erza gasped as she saw a long, deep scar that ran down her entire calf.

"My sister didn't even know what she was doing. She lost control of all sanity, and took a good bit out of me." Dori told her, "I barely brought her back by giving back her Dragonic Fang. But what happened that day…was not normal. I don't know what it was, but I believe that might be the result of her uncontrolled magic. I can only hope, after all this is done, that Natsu can help find out what it is."

Erza looked down, wondering. She knew of Natsu's rage quite well, and at times, he did strike in an uncontrolled manner. But this felt like a completely different level of rage she had not heard of. She should've been completely helpless against the Drain spell, but something else awoken inside of her as a result. Was it the rage of her Dragon Slayer magic? Or was it something more?

"Erza!" "Dori!" shouted a group of voices. Dori rolled up her stocking as the two girls saw Gray, Elfman, Leon, Mirajane, Pastry and the barely conscious Palva racing into the room.

"Guys, you're all here." Dori stated, then looked shocked at the sight of her sister on Leon's back. She stood up and demanded, "Palva! What happened to her?!"

"Ask Gray. He would know." Leon answered, turning to the Ice-Make mage.

"Looks like there were some fireworks here, too." Elfman noticed, looking at the carnage in the room.

"Are the two of you okay?" Pastry asked Dori. "We're fine. No need to worry about either one of us." Dori assured him, "Natsu and Happy went on ahead to save Lucy."

"Whoa!" Elfman gasped, drawing the attention of the others towards the unconscious Element 4 member.

"That's Aria!" Mirajane gasped. "Crap, his blindfold is removed, too!" Pastry pointed out.

"You got shot by that cannon, and still fought this guy?!" Elfman asked Erza.

"What were you thinking on letting her fight?!" Gray asked Dori.

"I could've taken him myself, but Erza insisted getting revenge for the Master." the Crystal mage explained, "Nevertheless, we managed to defeat him together."

"The two of you defeated Aria?" Mirajane asked her.

"Well, Happy helped me in one attack that made its' mark, so give a bit of credit to him, too." Dori added.

Erza smiled at the group as she stated, "I really didn't want you to see me in such a weak state. Guess I have a long way to go."

"Weak? Far from it. You're amazingly strong, Erza." Leon commended her.

Pastry looked down at her as Dori helped her onto her feet. ' _Yeah. You share the same stubbornness as her.'_ he added mentally.

"Sis…" moaned Palva, reawakening again.

Dori turned to her and, with a sweet smile, she asked, "How are you feeling, Palva? Doing okay?"

Palva whimpered a bit, but she answered, "Sorry, sis… I got really angry again, and…"

Dori's smile vanished in replace of an expression of concern. "I see. That explains it." she understood, turning to Gray, "She lost her sanity in the fight, didn't she?" Erza looked to Gray, reminding herself of what Dori had just told her about the incident before.

"Yeah. She got pretty ticked and almost killed one of the Element 4." Gray answered, "I gave her back her Dragonic Fang before she followed through with that."

"I see…" Dori answered, sighing in relief, "Well, we can consider this a close call…"

Suddenly, the pressure around the area suddenly changed. It became cold, and dreading. The group stirred in fear and/or concern as they felt it.

"What's that?" Gray question in shock. "This is…!" Mirajane gasped.

"I sense death!" Erza described. "This ain't a good feeling at all!" Pastry shivered.

"Leon, ready yourself!" Dori ordered, not afraid, but prepared to fight. "Got it!" he answered, prepared to protect Palva.

"What is this feeling?!" Gray asked fearfully.

"I'm super manly, and it give me chills!" Elfman described.

"The malice is truly potent." Leon added.

Dori sensed the direction of where the pressure was coming from, and turned to the top of the staircase. "There!" she shouted, drawing everyone's attention.

The team heard a slow round of applause from that direction, and saw, coming into the room, the man that was causing the pressure.

"Bravo. You are very impressive, my Fairy Tail mages…" he told the group, "To think I would be able to have such fun. I never would have dreamed it. You destroyed Jupiter, defeated the Element 4, and even brought my Magic Giant to its' knees!"

"Master José!" Erza growled. "So this is the guy, huh?" Dori questioned. Indeed she could feel the intensity of his magic from where she stood.

"He's Phantom Lord's master?!" Gray gasped.

"Dang, I already got goosebumps from what he was emanating!" Pastry stated, cowering behind Mirajane.

"What incredible evil magical power!" Mirajane shuddered, covering her mouth from the black cloud surrounding the area, "I feel nauseous just standing near him!"

"Now, I must thank you for the fun you've given me." José told the group, "I also must thank you for bringing Palva straight to my feet."

"There's no hell way I'll ever give you my sister!" Dori barked, stepping forward and preparing to fight.

"Elfman!" Gray called out. "Right!" he answered.

"I'll return my gratitude in full…" José snickered, raising a hand that pulsed with the evil dark energy.

" **Ice-Make Saucer!** " " **Beast Arm: Iron Bull!** " the two leapt forward, casting their magic.

"Wait, don't be hasty!" Erza shouted to them, but it was too late. Dori hastily reacted by shouting, " **Crystal Wall!** " she summoned a wide wall of crystal in front of those behind her.

"Pathetic!" José shouted, raising a hand and producing a dark magic circle. Streams of skull-faced dark energy shot at the two boys, sending them flying in agony and falling to the ground far behind the team. "Elfman! Gray!" Leon shouted to the two.

José then swished his arm horizontally, and a blast line struck the crystal wall, shattering it and sending the team behind flying backwards. Elfman, Gray and Pastry got hit hard again. Mirajane was sent tumbling, only to be caught by Leon as he skidded backwards with Palva in tow. Only Dori and Erza were able to endure the attack as Erza leapt forward with sword at hand, and Dori produced a magic circle, unleashing Crystal Barrage right behind her.

José summoned another magic circle, and a cyclone of black energy shot at them, destroying the Crystal attack. Erza raced right through it, unfazed as she Requipped into her Black Wing Armor, making a leaping dash at José, raising her blade high. José easily dodged the slash, and grabbed ahold of Erza's sword arm, stopping her. The scarlet-haired swordswoman was shocked at how easily he stopped her, and was soon thrown away by him. Dori produced a slab of crystal that Erza landed on neatly, regaining her footing. She then charged forward at the said slab and thrust her palm into it, producing a magic circle that pushed the slab at José, causing Erza to backflip off of it. The evil master slashed with a free hand, and broke the crystal before it came close.

"You okay, Mira?" Leon asked. "Yeah, I'm okay…" she muttered, turning to the three behind her, "But those guys…"

"Hold onto her, will you?" Leon asked, shouldering off Palva carefully, and placing her in Mirajane's arms. He turned and walked over to where Erza and Dori stood.

"Wait, you can't beat him!" Mira cried out to him.

He stopped and turned to her with a serious glare. "I'm gonna do everything I can to save you guys." he told him, "I promise you…" Mira looked frightened as Leon walked ahead.

"You two." José addressed Erza and Leon, "I'm pretty sure you took a direct hit from Jupiter, "How is it you can stand?"

"Because my friends strengthen my heart!" Erza answered, raising her blade forward, "I'll withstand any physical pain, to protect the ones I love!"

"There are some battles that you just have to stand up against." Leon growled, readying his large blade, "Plus, there are people I promise to protect, and I ain't backing down from my vow!"

"We won't fall to those who are as cruel as you!" Dori barked at him, crossing her hands in front of her, "For the guild who welcomed my sister and I in, I will make sure that their enemy is vanquished!"

"Powerful, courageous, and beautiful…" José described them with a sinister pleasure, "It will be such a pleasure to destroy you and take everything you love away from you!"

He summoned a black magic circle, sending more skulls of black energy at the group. " **Aegis Blade!** " Leon roared, transforming his blade into the shield form and blocking the attack. However, he was sliding backwards from the attack, as he was already straining from the exhaustion after facing Sol.

Dori roared as she stomped the ground, producing a magic circle, and shouting, " **Crystal Launcher!** " She sent José flying upward, though he didn't seem phased by it. Erza flew up at him with the power of her armor, ready to slash at him again. José looked back at her with an evil grin, as he summoned another magical circle, creating another cyclone that consumed her, along with Leon and Dori on the ground, creating an explosion of damage.

When the attack died down, Erza was on one knee while Leon and Dori were still standing, with a few scrapes on their body, but otherwise unfazed.

"Good…" José stated, "If you were to fall to that attack, then this would be boring, now would it?"

"Believe me, we got a few more tricks up our sleeve!" Dori barked, creating a magic circle in one hand, "Just you watch!"

* * *

Near the head of the giant, Gajeel had Lucy pinned to the wall in a similar manner as he did with Team Shadowgear before. He was practically playing throwing darts at her, throwing one iron kunai after another, as she hung on the wall, completely helpless. He threw another kunai at her, and it barely scraped her left cheek.

"Ooh, nasty…" he snickered, "I thought that one was going to hit for a moment there."

"Uh, Gajeel, you really shouldn't do that." one mage warned him, "You might actually hit her…!"

"But I'm bored." Gajeel sulked, producing another kunai with his Iron Dragon Slayer magic, "The master is cruel, making me watch over blonde here like this, and going to deal with the flies himself. I ain't even had a chance to get back at that Pyro Princess's sister for what she did. This sucks. Now, where to aim for next…?"

"Stop it!" the mage begged again, "If the master finds out, he won't let you off so easy!"

Gajeel got irritated at his pleads, and produced an Iron Club, sending it crashing into the guy's face. "Shut up!" he growled, retracting his club, "I know master thinks she's important, but to me, she's nothing but Fairy scum. And even if she's a woman, she's still a mage. She should be prepared for this when she joined a guild."

"But you're going overboard!" warned the bald, dark-skinned mage, "Let it go…"

"Master's gonna be pissed, big time." a green-haired female mage added.

"If that happens, I'll blame it on you guys." Gajeel responded, causing the mages to become scared at the thought, "But man, I do feel sorry for her. Now that they know she's rich, and that other girl's bounty so high, those Fairy scumbags are frantic to get them back."

He then heard a slight snicker…coming from Lucy, and he turned to her in surprise. "Hmm? You wanna say something, blonde?" he asked.

"You guys really are complete idiots, aren't you?" she questioned them, "I feel so sorry for you, it makes me want to cry."

"Wha-what is she thinking?!" the bald mage asked in shock. "She's provoking Gajeel!" the girl noticed, "She has the guts to talk smack to Gajeel?!"

"Phantom Lord? The ruler of spirits?" Lucy asked with a smirk on her face, "What a joke! I'm not scared of you at all!"

Gajeel suddenly threw his next kunai close to the right side of her face. "You got some balls bluffing in a situation like this, princess!" he told her off, "I must say that you got guts. But I wanna here more than this trash talk act you're pulling! I want some screams!"

Lucy shivered a bit, but she kept her ground as she continued, "You're the ones who'd be in trouble if I died, you know. There's no way Fairy Tail would ever forgive you! That's the kind of guild they are." She raised her head, giving Gajeel a confident smirk, "You'd be shivering under the shadow of the world's scariest guild every day, for the rest of your lives!" This intimidation did get under the skins of the mages watching the two.

"So they're gonna come after me, huh?" Gajeel questioned, not even phased by the threat, "That sounds like fun. Let's test that out!" He threw the last kunai he had on him, and it definitely look like it was gonna hit Lucy for sure, in the head. The mages were in a panic, fearing the wrath of José as he went for the death blow.

Suddenly, something or someone shot out of the ground in a blast of flames, startling everyone in the room, including Lucy. The person suddenly grabbed the iron kunai in his teeth, and broke it to bits. He then roared as he sent flames flying everywhere, terrifying the mages on the sidelines. The person revealed himself to be none other than Natsu, igniting with rage.

"I knew it…" Gajeel stated with a sinister grin, "I thought I smelled you comin'…"

"It's Natsu…" Lucy sobbed, happier than she had ever been to see him.

"GAJEEL!" Natsu roared with all his fury, his flames encasing him turning into a dome as he stood between his opponent and Lucy.

"Hehehe! You really get lured out so easily, Salamander!" Gajeel taunted, "I was hoping to get that Pyro Princess or her sister in the mix, but you'll have to do!"

"Unlike you Phantom creeps, I watch out for my friends! I won't let you lay a hand on her!"

Lucy's grateful smile to Natsu's save was replaced with amazement. Something had changed in Natsu since she last saw him. There was a new intensity in his flames. It was similar to that of when Palva unleashed her flames on Sherry on Galuna Island. A justified anger that made his flames more potent than before. "Hang tight, Lucy." Natsu assured her, "I got this…"

"Gajeel!" gasped the bald mage in the watching crowd. "This one's mine." Gajeel snickered, and he leapt at Natsu with an Iron Club ready for him.

"Bring it!" Natsu roared, leaping at Gajeel, who extended his club at him. Natsu dodged to one side and grabbed ahold of the iron club, throwing him around and to the wall above the watching mages. He withstood the impact with his feet, but saw Natsu close in on him with fiery fists, and placed his club up in defense. There was an explosion, and the watching mages scurried to get out of the way, but were sent flying by the shockwave.

Gajeel leapt out of the explosion, with Natsu charging directly into his face. Startled, he was sent crashing into the far side of the room by another fiery fist, creating a crater with his body. He had only barely recovered before Natsu came at him again, shouting, " **Fire Dragon's Talon!** ", unleashing a fiery drop-kick that Gajeel barely blocked, resulting in another explosion that sent Natsu recoiling backwards.

Just then, Happy appeared, and leapt up to the restrains holding Lucy's arms to the wall, asking, "You okay, Lucy?"

"Happy!" Lucy gasped, seeing him pull out the bolt that held the metal pieces together, till it finally pulled out. He fell to the floor, dropping the bolt, then looked up to see her expression as she watched Natsu and Gajeel fight.

"Is something the matter?" the blue cat asked her, hopping up to the next bolt.

"I've never seen Natsu like that before." Lucy pointed out, seeing Natsu stomping towards Gajeel with a furious look on his face.

"Aye. Same here." Happy agreed, finally pulling out the last bolt that restrained one of Lucy's hands, "But right now, Natsu's really strong!"

"Don't get so damn cocky!" barked Gajeel, and he came back at Natsu with an Iron Dragon's Club, which Natsu dodged. Both Dragon Slayers glared fiercely at one another, determined to put down the other, for good.

* * *

Back down below, Leon had just Requipped into his Shadow Rain Armor, dashing in with his dark blade ready. José unleashed dark, skull-faced streams of energy at him, but he sliced them with a black arc of energy from his blade.

"This armor halves the damage of Dark-element magic like yours!" he warned him, and he unleashed a slash of his blade at José, who leapt up to avoid the attack. He was soon joined in the air by Erza, who charged at him quickly. " **Moon Flash!** " she roared, swinging her sword in a cross-slash as she came at him. The Phantom Lord master grinned as he unleashed a blast of energy from his entire body, causing Erza to fall back.

"Let's try this…" Dori growled, slamming a palm to the ground, and producing four obelisks of crystal around José. " **Lacrima Release: Lightning!** " she roared, placing a palm on the nearest crystal, " **Crystal Deity: Thor!** " She channeled a surge of magic energy into the crystal, which connected with the other crystals, making them glow a neon yellow.

José looked to the pillars with a slight grin as he stated, "Very interesting. Your magic seems to be beyond my expectations. As expected from the sister of the Fire Demon!"

Dori growled at this statement as she roared, "Never call her that again! **Crystal…** " Streams of electricity started coursing around from each crystal, forming a cage of volts around José, " **…Thor Prison!** " The electricity converged onto José, creating a powerful blast that was followed by a thunderclap. Erza and Mirajane were in awe at the sight of the damage she unleashed. It was something that their best lightning mage would even do, but at an advance level.

For a moment, the trio of fighters, including Mirajane and the slowly awakening Palva, watched as the smoke covered where José stood. Dori narrowed her eyes, knowing for a fact, that this was far from over. True enough, she detected the magic energy surge, and shouted, "Duck!" The two girls ducked as a blast of phantom energy shot at where they stood, nearly hitting them.

Leon held his blade up, slicing a couple phantom attacks in half. He then saw, in the corner of his eye, the sight of a few phantom streams heading towards Mirajane and Palva. "Crap!" He gasped. Dropping his sword, he Requipped his leggings down into the Swift Armor pieces, making a mad dash. _I can't Requip the rest of my armor to pull them out of there! I'm barely running on reserves!_ he told himself, gritting his teeth. He then saw only one thing to do; be the guardian.

With all his speed he can muster, he got directly in front of Mirajane and Palva, and took the full blow of the attack, grimacing in pain. With parts of his Shadow Rain armor removed, his resistance to the attack was cut in half. Mirajane was in shock at the sight. "Leon!" Dori shouted in horror.

"No! He's been hit badly!" Erza noticed.

When the attack ended, Leon fell to the ground face-first, barely conscious. "Leon, no!" Mirajane shouted, racing to his side, with Palva in tow.

"Leon…" the female Dragon Slayer moaned, seeing her trusted friend on the ground.

The guardian looked up at the two, seeing that they weren't damaged by the attack, and smirked. "Guess I did my part…" he muttered, "Please… Don't let him have Palva…" Mirajane, with tears forming in her eyes, nodded in answer to this. With that settled, Leon faded from consciousness, leaving a worried group of girls to see him in such a state. José, on the other hand, cackled with laughter.

"A valiant effort, but a vain one." he stated, "He should know, as do all of you, that I will not allow any of you to live after this day. It's the end of the road for all of you! And I'll take my prizes from it all; Lucy Heartfilia, Palva Himeka, and the destruction of Fairy Tail!"

Dori and Erza rose to their feet again, glaring harshly at José. "Leon's sacrifice will not be in vain!" Erza hissed harshly.

"You're going to regret ever THINKING of taking my sister!" Dori barked, curling her fists. Yet, even so, she could feel a good chunk of her magic used up in that last attack. Nevertheless, the two scarlet-haired ladies leapt into the battle once more with battle cries.

Mirajane watched the two continue to face off against José, then felt Palva struggle to move in her arms. "I…need to fight, too." she moaned, trying to get out of Mirajane's arms.

"You have to rest up, Palva." Mirajane retorted, "You're too injured to help out."

"I don't care…" she answered, rolling herself out of the white-haired beauty's arms and onto the ground next to Leon, her lance clattering next to her. She struggled to get up as she muttered, "My sister…Leon…Pastry…all of Fairy Tail…they are trying hard to fight a battle that was clearly started because of me and Lucy. I can't just lay here and act like a helpless child. That's what I've been doing so much of my life!"

"But you aren't helpless." said a voice from behind. Mirajane turned to see Pastry hobble over towards them. "You destroyed that cannon with Natsu, and defeated two of the Element 4 guys. That's nothing to sneeze at."

"He's right." Mirajane agreed, turning to her, "You, your sister and Leon have done a lot for us in this fight. You can't say you are helpless."

Palva got to a kneeling position, panting heavily as she looked to see her sister and Erza struggle against José, countering his shadow with their crystals and blades.

"But…I haven't done enough." she muttered, her eyes full of determination as she found the strength to slowly get to her feet again, "My sister has trained so hard to protect me. I trained and fought alongside her, hoping for one day to be the one to do the protecting. I don't want to fight just for the people around me." She stumbled a bit, but used her lance to regain her balance, then glared fiercely as she declared, "I want to fight…in order to keep living!"

Mirajane was amazed at Palva's drive and ambition. She was just like Natsu in that way; refusing to back down or run away from a fight that needs to be won. However, her reasons to fight were different. She had a bounty, and her life was filled with people wanting to capture or kill her. She had to fight in order to survive.

Palva gripped her lance tightly as her feet started to combust. She then unleashed a Fire Dragon's Pounce, heading to Leon's dropped sword. "Erza!" she cried, and she unleashed a roundhouse kick upon the blade, sending it flying towards the called swordswoman. She turned to see it coming, and instinctively un-Requipped her sword, and grabbed the hilt of the blade, using the momentum it had to spin and slice through José's hurricane of dark magic.

"What?!" José was startled, then saw who sent the blade towards her. However, he soon saw Erza coming at him with Leon's shadowy greatsword, and got back into the fight.

"Palva, you shouldn't be moving around!" Dori told her younger sister.

"Don't worry! I'm perfectly fine!" she assured her older sister, thought a stumbled of her feet gave way her physical condition, "I won't let anyone take me without a fight. Besides, that phantom freak is gonna pay for Leon."

Dori looked to her younger sister, knowing for a fact that she would not go back on her word at this point. However, she also knew she was in no physical condition to fight up close and personal. So she knew the best compromise for her sister's situation.

"Fine, but let me and Erza handle the battle up close. You stay back and send your flames flying." the crystal mage instructed as Erza got sent skidding backwards from a blast of energy by José.

"You got it!" Palva assured her, and she spun a flaming foot, shouting, " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Talon!** " She sent a stream of flames in a curve towards José, who backed off enough for it to zoom past him, exploding into the wall nearby.

The guild master grinned as he saw the trio glare fiercely at him, while Pastry and Mirajane were watching from the sidelines, standing next to Leon. "This couldn't have been more fun, even if I wanted it to." he snickered, "I'll make sure to enjoy every last moment before I crush you all and send you wallowing into despair!"

* * *

Outside the guild giant, the phantoms created by José were starting to gather together in a large sphere of dark energy. When all the phantoms gathered together into it, it sprouted seven tentacle-like arms, and red eyes came from the sphere. It roared as it raised its' arms, and started hammering the Fairy Tail guild hall with them.

"What the heck are you doing to our guild hall?!" Cana demanded in a petrified manner.

"Shoot it down!" "We can't let it destroy the guild!" The mages all focused all of their magic against the giant phantom creature, trying to stop it with all they had. However, this was proving to be pointless as it continued to destroy the building bit by bit. Cana, throwing her cards at it, had tear-strained eyes, desperate to stop it before it ruined everything. _Guys, you have to stop José before it destroys our guild hall!_ she pleaded in her mind.

* * *

Near the head of the giant, Gajeel and Natsu were still fiercely at it, blasting one another with fists, flames and iron. Natsu was starting off strong, but Gajeel then created Iron Dragon Scales all over his body, increasing the physical damage of his attacks and creating a powerful defense against Natsu's attack. Despite this, Natsu wasn't gonna give up, and even placed a crack in Gajeel's scales after the two exchanged Roar attacks that blasted apart the room.

The Phantom Lord mages were constantly in the way of collateral damage, while Lucy and Happy were enduring the shockwaves, the Celestial mage constantly trying to keep her skirt down to prevent panty shots.

The two Dragon Slayers were only just warming up as they took their battle outside, clashing with one another so fast, that they were barely recognizable to the human eye. However, they were fighting so powerfully, they ended up breaking off the horn of the giant, sending it point-first into the room the others were in. At this, Natsu and Gajeel were both pretty exhausted, both physically and in magic.

"Gajeel looks like he's feeling the pressure." the female mage noticed.

"No, look." the bald mage pointed out, "That Salamander seems to be breathing pretty heavily, as well."

Just as the guy was saying, both mages were panting heavily from the usage of magic. However, Gajeel had a solution, and he reached down, taking some of the iron scraps, and started munching them down as easily as they were pieces of meat.

"Bastard, that's not fair!" Natsu barked, "You're eating by yourself!"

"Oh, shut up!" Gajeel scoffed through a mouth full of shrapnel.

"He's really eating iron?!" Lucy said in a startled tone. "I wonder if it's any good?" Happy asked.

"As soon as Gajeel finished his meal, he grinned maliciously as he stated, "Now I'm starting to feel like I got a fire in my belly!"

"That's my line, you copycat!" Natsu growled.

Gajeel then started unleashing a powerful blast of energy, his magic now restored.

"What's with this surge of magic energy?!" Lucy asked in shock.

"Dragon Slayers can restore their strength or power up by eating things made out of their own element!" Happy explained.

"Then, Natsu needs to…" Lucy started, but she stopped as she realized something.

"Right. Natsu can't eat his own flames." Happy stated, digging into his bag, "But Dori did give me something that'll help." Lucy looked surprised as she turned to see him pull out the red lacrima orb.

"A lacrima?" Lucy asked. "Aye. She said it was full of Fire Magic." Happy explained, looking at Natsu, "We just need to get it to him!"

"I'll tear you to shreds!" Gajeel roared, raising an arm as it glowed strongly, " **Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!** " He fired off several iron lances from his fingertips at Natsu, peppering him and causing him to cry out in agony.

"We can't even get close to Natsu without getting hit by all those attacks!" Happy stated, shivering despite holding a hot lacrima in his hands, "If only we had a way to send it over to him!"

"Maybe one of my Celestial Spirits could help us!" Lucy started, reaching for her keys, however, she stopped when she realized her satchel was missing. Of course. It disappeared after getting kidnapped by Sol and Juvia. However, there was one she hadn't used yet; the Gate Key she got from Galuna Island; Sagittarius, which she fortunately had in a spare pocket ( **Author's Note: considering I am a guy and a gentlemen, I do not know where pockets are on a girl's skirt, so let's pretend there is one, okay?** )

"I know I haven't made a contract with it, yet, but this is all I can do!" Lucy stated, witnessing Natsu struggling to get back up again. She waved her key as she shouted, "I'm one who forges a path to the Celestial Plane. Answer thee my call and pass through the gate! **Open! Gate of the Archer: Sagittarius!** "

A magic circle appeared, and from it came a new character. He had the appearance of a tall, lanky man in a brown horse costume, wearing a fancy green shirt with yellow trimming, red and yellow striped pants with purple frills, and he was equipped with a large bow and a quiver on his back.

"Horse!" he shouted, saluting straight forward as he greeted, "Well, howdy do, my lady!"

"Wow, that really worked!" Lucy stated with glee. "A guy in a horse suit?!" Happy exclaimed, wondering how in the heck that was the celestial spirit's form.

"We can go through this properly later!" Lucy stated, taking the orb from Happy, juggling it a bit at the heat it was emanating, then turned to Sagittarius, "I need you to deliver this lacrima to that pink-haired guy over there, but we can't get close without that other guy attacking us. Is there anyway for you to send this to him?!"

"Certainly, my lady." the horse man answered, taking an arrow out of his quiver, "It's a simple task for me." He took the lacrima and tied it to the tip of his arrow. He then pulled it back as he asked, "Should it be near him or directly at him?"

"It doesn't matter, so long as he gets it!" Lucy answered, then turning to where Natsu was, she shouted, "Heads up!" Natsu and Gajeel turned in time to see Sagittarius fire off the arrow directly at Natsu's head. "That's not what I meant!" Lucy gasped, realizing it could actually kill him on contact.

"That's the…" Natsu noticed, but he looked open-mouthed at it coming at him head-on. However, by some miracle, this was a benefit, as the lacrima-tipped arrow went right into his mouth, jamming the lacrima between his lips and making him falter back.

"He caught it with his mouth?!" Lucy exclaimed in a dumbfounded manner.

"Hopefully, he doesn't choke on that." Happy added.

"What is she trying to pull?" Gajeel questioned, looking at Natsu regained himself, growling as he slowly cracked the lacrima with his teeth, finally breaking it entirely. Suddenly, there was an explosion of flames that surrounded him, given off from the released magic of the lacrima.

"Oh, wow! It really worked out!" Lucy stated, giving a thumbs up to her spirit, "Great job, Sagittarius!"

"Well, I do aim to please." he answered, saluting to no one.

"If you wanna salute Lucy, she's right over here." Happy stated, pointing to Sagittarius's left.

"That man-horse thing is really get in my way!" Gajeel growled, then he turned at the sound of a deep inhale. Natsu was sucking in all of the flames from the fire lacrima, taking it all in. The replenished magic energy started to pulse from his body in a bright orange hue as he limply bowed his head after sucking it all in, then raised it with a grin and a thumbs up as he snickered, "Just what I needed. Thanks a million, you guys!" Lucy, beaming to see Natsu regaining his magic, gave a thumbs up right back.

"So you ate some flames. Big deal!" Gajeel barked, racing at him. "Oh, yeah?! Natsu barked, setting his body aflame and rocketing himself at Gajeel. Both Dragon Slayers collided, and with their magic replenished, they were stronger than ever. The shockwave caused the ongoing viewers to brace themselves.

Gajeel then used an Iron Dragon's Club to uppercut Natsu in the chin, and extended the club to carry Natsu higher into the sky. "Natsu!" Lucy cried, watching him fly.

Natsu shook it off as he was airborne, then heard the sound of something breaking and falling apart. He looked onward, and his pupils shrunk. He saw the jellyfish-like phantom from afar, and it had finally done enough damage to send the entire Fairy Tail guild hall to collapsing to the ground. It was completely destroyed.

Down below, Lucy, Happy and Sagittarius just noticed the destruction of the guild hall, while Gajeel cackled as he called up, "Hey, can you see from up there?! We're doing a little remodeling to your guild hall!"

Still hanging in the air, Natsu's mind went all the way back to when he first saw the guild hall for the first time. He remembered the first day he came to the guild, and met Gray, Erza, the Strauss siblings, and all the other members. He remembered how he started to love the guild with all his heart, because of the people in it. He remembered when he found Happy when he was just an egg, and hatched him, with help from Lisanna. He remembered how excited Lucy was to join the guild. He remembered the night when Palva decided to join Fairy Tail.

Now, he could only hear cries of panic from afar. He could even hear Cana crying from the loss. There was no way he was gonna walk away from this without taking some sort of revenge against Phantom Lord for doing this. They were gonna pay.

"First your guild hall, and next, it'll be you to fall, Salamander!" Gajeel shouted, using his strength to launch himself up at where Natsu was.

Suddenly, Natsu combusted in rage, causing Gajeel to be startled enough for him to spin around and hammer Gajeel in the face with an explosive fist. This was followed by a blast of flames that sent him careening down to the ground, creating a crater with his body. Natsu's face was nothing but absolute rage.

"You punks are gonna pay for messing up our guild hall, and hurting my friends!" he barked, his mind flashing back to when he saw the condition of Team Shadowgear, the news of Makarov's defeat, and both Lucy and Palva crying.

He shot down at the Iron Dragon Slayer before he could recover, slamming him like a flaming meteor. Lucy and Happy were excited to see this, while the Phantom Lord mages were shocked at the damage he delivered. Gajeel was then picked up and thrown into the iron horn of the giant, causing it to be tilted slightly upon impact.

"Levy, Jet, Troy, Lucy, Palva, Gramps, my friends, and now, my guild!" Natsu named all the people and groups that Phantom Lord hurt, his eyes full of rage.

" **Iron Dragon's Roar!** " Gajeel shouted, unleashing a blast of shrapnel at Natsu, who blocked it with his bare hands, and repelled it. "He deflected my breath attack with his bare hands?!" the Iron Dragon Slayer gasped.

"How many people do you have to hurt until you are satisfied?" Natsu growled, "It doesn't matter, cause it ends now!"

"There's no way…" Gajeel muttered, shocked to see his attack deflected so easily, "I can't lose to him! It's impossible! He's nothing but Fairy scum!"

"I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to my friends!" Natsu roared, his body blazing with flames, "Messing with Fairy Tail is the biggest mistake you've ever made!"

Gajeel regained himself as he barked back, "The only mistake I've made is letting you live this long!" He leapt forward as he shouted, " **Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!** " With his fist encased in his Iron Scales, he attempted a punch at Natsu, who countered with his own fist. Both produced magic circles that pushed off of one another, but it was Gajeel's iron-coated fist, all the way up to his shoulder, that was breaking, much to his shock.

"You're through, Black Steel!" Natsu roared, intensifying the flames in his other fist, " **Flame Lotus Fire Dragon's Fist!** " He started peppering Gajeel with an endless barrage of fiery fists. "This is for Levy, Jet, Troy, Nab, Macao, Gramps, Erza…" He left the unconscious Gajeel hanging as he finished, "…and Lucy and Palva!" He unleashed a powerful punch that sent him near the edge of the hole they made from their collided breath attacks.

"And this is for destroying our guild!" Natsu roared, unleashing the last of his fiery magic into several more punches, causing explosions that were visible to the Fairy Tail mages outside, sending the Iron Dragon Slayer flying out of the giant. His attack was so destructive, it even dislodged the head of the mobile guild hall, causing it to crash into the water below.

The mages of Phantom Lord were in total surprise at the defeat of one of their best. Happy flew Lucy into the sky as the two searched for Natsu. They found him, standing on a platform above where Gajeel laid.

"You…can't…defeat me…" Gajeel groaned, barely conscious.

"Oh yeah?" Natsu panted, "It looks like I just did." He then fell to his knees, then onto his back, battered up and out of magic. He then looked up to see Lucy and Happy's worried faces. He grinned as she moaned, "Well, this was fun, but I think I'm gonna rest a bit…"

Lucy broke into a smile, and saw the destruction of the battle all about them. "What a mess…" she muttered, "Aw man. Talk about overdoing it."

"Aye. That's Natsu for ya." Happy stated. The two of them looked down at the grinning idiot, pleased at his victory, and chuckling at the amount of destruction he delivered.

* * *

Down below, the battle between the Fairy Tail mages and José still continued, although they paused at the sound of destruction from above. Pastry and Mirajane were able to drag Leon over to Gray and Elfman, tending to them while avoiding the falling rubble. Palva, who was able to sense her fellow Dragon Slayer's flames, grinned. "Looks like Natsu was able to win the fight above, and cause a lot of damage, as well." she stated.

"Indeed. He one tough son of a dragon." Dori agreed.

"My, our dragons have run quite amuck." José stated with a chuckle.

"Natsu has a huge amount of strength within him." Dori stated, raising a crystal saber she produced in the battle, "I can tell he's definitely the kind of guy who will help my sister in controlling her flames."

Erza, who was panting heavily, readied her blade as she found the breath to add, "It doesn't seem like you accounted for Natsu's battle strength. He is just as powerful as I, if not more so!"

José chuckled as he retorted, "There's no need to be so modest, Titania Erza. Your magical power, along with you, Mrs. Dori Himeka, are indeed amazing. I have never met mages who could hold out against me for so long. If you, Erza, hadn't taken damage from Jupiter, I suspect we may have had a better match. I can't stand Makarov gaining mages this powerful in his or any other guild."

"Well, guess what? You ain't gettin' me, even if you begged!" Palva barked, slamming her lance on the ground, "As far as I can tell, Fairy Tail is the only guild that had welcomed me with open arms. True, they had not known of my bounty, or what I had done. I don't know what they plan to do with me after all this is over. However, I do know you won't take me!"

"My dear Palva, you have it wrong." José retorted, grinning maliciously, "If you were to walk on my steps to be a part of this guild, I would've sold you off anyway. Your bounty would've made a nice substitute for what I had plan for Lucy Heartfilia."

"You bastard!" Erza roared, lunging at him. "No wait! Erza!" Dori shouted, but too late. José raised a hand, and flicked one of his fingers like his shot a coin from them. A pulse of magic energy shot at Erza, sending her rocketing back into the wall behind the sisters.

"You'll pay for that!" Palva barked, inhaling deeply, " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " She blasted a stream of flames at José, who leapt out of the way to avoid the attack, then produced energy from his fingertips, blasting the spot where Palva stood. She endured the hits as they blasted about her, but it made her fall to her back.

"Not a chance!" Dori shouted, slamming her hands on the ground and creating a magic circle, " **Crystal Halfpipe!** " From the wall behind José, Dori produced crystal that formed into a half-loop halfpipe. Palva's breath attack went right into it, changing course and came back at José, who turned to see it coming. He got blasted in the back from it, creating an explosion of smoke.

"Incredible!" Mirajane gasped, "Dori redirected Palva's attack!"

"Well, it's not like they haven't trained together for so much of their lives." Pastry stated, "They've worked on each other's magic to perform combinations that take others by surprise."

Erza and Palva recovered, seeing the billow of smoke in front of them. Dori narrowed her eyes, then widened them as she and the others avoided oncoming bullets of magic energy from José.

"Very clever! You're more than just magic power." the master told the girls, as he continued to fire at them, "You have incredible wits and strength to back you up. How fun, but not as much so when I drive Makarov to despair after demolishing your guild and killing all of his children! When he reaches that state, I can swoop in and kill him, but not before making him suffer endlessly until he withers and dies." He chuckled at this thought.

"You're seriously twisted!" Dori barked, unleashing a Crystal Barrage from her hands, countering the blasts from José, "You hate Makarov that much, that you intend to destroy everything he loves to make him fall into despair? What has he done to you?!"

"You monster!" Erza roared, coming at him with Leon's blade, unleashing a slash that was missed. He teleported away from her attack, reappearing right behind Palva, who turned at his scent.

He then raised a hand to her, and dark skull-faced streams shot at her, wrapping themselves around Palva's body and holding her up off the ground, where she squirmed and cried out in pain.

"No!" Mirajane cried. "Palva!" Dori shouted. "Let go of her!" Erza demanded.

"Why should I? She is one of the two people I intend on gathering." José stated, walking right next to her, "Now, all is left is Lucy Heartfilia, and the destruction of your guild."

Erza and Dori prepared to fight him, but he stopped them, "Uh-uh-uh. I wouldn't do that if I were you. I could enjoy fighting you, but it would be better if I watch the two of you suffer as one of your own is within my grasp." He thrust his magic circle at her, and the energy binding Palva amplified, sending red sparks emanating and Palva howling in pain. Neither Erza or Dori made a move. He had the upper hand on them.

Dori grimaced. She had to find a way to stop him, but she didn't know how. Instead, she decided to buy more time as she demanded, "You still didn't tell me; Why do you hate Makarov so much?! Why go to such lengths?!"

José snickered as he stated, "Of course you wouldn't know. You're from a different continent, aren't you? If you did hear anything about this land, you would've known that Phantom Lord was always the number one guild. We had the most powerful magic, the most talented people, and the most money in the country."

He then gave a glare at the two as he continued, "But in these past few years, Fairy Tail has suddenly gotten powerful. The names Erza, Laxus, and Mystogen were known far and wide, and the tales of Salamander spread like wildfire. Suddenly, Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail became equals. The top two guilds of this kingdom."

José's eyes flashed in anger as he spat, "The very thought of it disgusts me. I refuse to be acquainted with such a feeble guild!"

"SILENCE!" Erza roared, suddenly coming at José with a slash of her blade. But he teleported away, taking Palva with him, and landing on top of a pile of rubble.

"You mean to tell me you are doing all of this because you can't handle sharing the spotlight?!" Dori barked furiously, "What kind of nonsense is that?!"

"Nonsense, you say? That's absurd!" José retorted, "I wanted to show everyone our superiority!"

"How could you? And for such a petty reason?!" Erza demanded, about to strike at José again, but he was prepared this time.

"I wouldn't strike me if I were you." he stated, placing Palva directly in the line of fire, "Not unless you want her to be a victim of your attack." Erza grimaced, but Dori placed a hand on her arm, stopping her from even trying.

"Erza…Dori…I'm sorry." Palva apologized, unable to struggle against her bindings.

"Don't you worry, Palva! I won't let him have you!" Dori assured her, but inside, she was struggling for a way to stop José without harming her sister.

' _I won't let him take me!'_ Palva told herself, _'Sorry, sis. But I have no choice!'_ She began to relinquish her grip from her lance. She planned to let her flames go berserk again. However, this plan was stopped as with a flick of his hand, José press Palva's lance right back into her.

"Sorry, my dear. I won't let you destroy this place any further than it has been." the Phantom Lord mage stated, "You've already shown just how much you can do without that lance suppressing your magic."

Palva looked shocked at this, while Dori growled, "He must've been watching her fight, and figured it out! Damn it all!"

"Now, it's your turn to join with her!" José roared, and he unleashed two more streams of skull-faced energy, binding the two red-heads and squeezing them, causing them to feel the dark magic electrify. Erza cried out in agony, while Dori gritted her teeth.

"Stop it!" Mirajane begged, racing towards them. "Put them down!" Pastry demanded, flying alongside her.

"You two stay out of this!" José ordered, using a spare fingertip to blast the two backwards, making them fall to their backs.

"Stop it! You're hurting them!" Palva begged, "Please let them go! Don't hurt my friends!"

"Sorry, but it's too late for that." José retorted, "Besides, you're my prisoner. Why should I make demands from you?" He amplified the magic in the bindings around Palva, causing her to scream in pain once more.

He turned back to Dori and Erza, who struggled against the pain of their restraints. "While I've had a long distaste for your guild, it was not the reason why I triggered this war. You see, I had a request to return the first daughter of the Heartfilia family."

"Lucy…" Erza muttered, recalling what she remembered hearing about Lucy's story.

"A daughter of one of the richest families in the country in Fairy Tail? Now Makarov's trying to buy his way to the top?!" He increased the magic energy restraining Dori and Erza, and that even caused Dori to gasp in pain.

"If you bastards can use the Heartfilia's money as you wish, there's no mistaking that you could gain power greater than ours. That, I cannot allow." He once again placed magic on the two of them, causing the two more pain.

"Then I hear, as of recently, that you allowed the Fire Demon Palva to join your guild. Considering how her wanted poster had only been recently brought over to this kingdom, I would've believed Fairy Tail would use her to gain even more wealth. I can't believe how greedy your guild is to go this far to surpass me!" Another pulse of energy, and more pain. However, there was something that one of them did that made José raise his eyebrows. Erza was smiling and chuckling.

"Making such a big deal about who's on top… It's almost pitiful." the scarlet-haired swordsman stated, "But it's your lack of information gathering that's laughable!"

"What do you mean?" José questioned.

"Lucy ran away from home. She doesn't have access to her family's fortune!" Erza pointed out, "She lives in a rented house for 70,000 jewels a month! She does jobs and fights, together with us! We laugh together. We cry together. She's a mage like any other in the guild!"

"And as for Palva, she's nothing but an innocent girl!" Dori argued, "She and I have fought for our lives for a decade, all because she can't control her magic. The damage she has done was not on purpose at all, but her flames have destroyed town, killed people, including our parents! We barely have the chance to sit down and rest, as many guilds like your own have tried to hunt her down to capture or kill her. The only friends we made in our lives were Leon and Pastry, and Fairy Tail, who decided to help my sister and us! And she and Lucy are the reason why this war had started?!"

"Lucy may be part of the Heartfilia family, but just like how flowers cannot choose the places it blooms, neither can a child choose their parents!" Erza added, "And Palva may have a bounty, but the price on her head doesn't say that she's guilty of the crimes listed!"

"A fiend like you knows nothing of their tears! You can't know them at all!" both girls shouted in unison, their struggle against the bindings stronger than ever.

Palva was just speechless. The fact that Erza stood up for her and Lucy, despite her own pain, was something to behold. She knew she could trust Natsu and Erza before, but now, she had no shred of doubt inside of her. Erza would never betray her, no matter what.

"Well then, I'll learn soon enough!" José answered, startling the trio, "Do you really think I'd just hand Lucy over to her father? If she doesn't have any money, I'll make her my prisoner until her father meets my demands! I'll bleed the entire fortune from the Heartfilia family! And as for Palva, what do I care for her past! As long as I get her bounty from the Western Continent, then that's all that matters to me!"

"Curse you!" Erza barked. "You have no mercy in any bit of you!" Dori hissed. Both girls continued to struggle against their restraints, trying to break free.

"I…won't give up either!" Palva barked, struggling against her restraints, "I won't be the damsel in distress in this situation!"

"I wouldn't struggle if I were you!" he told the trio, summoning three skeletal beings made of his Phantom magic, "It'll just cause you to suffer more!" The trio of phantoms got in front of the two red-haired mages, and started to inhale. They cried out in agony as they felt as if their life force was being ripped away from their bodies. They could no longer struggle, and were barely holding the strength to hold themselves together.

"No! Erza! Sis!" Palva screamed, stopping her struggle after witnessing in terror the two's agonizing pain, "Let them go! Stop it right now!"

"You two aren't feeling well, are you?!" José questioned, ignoring Palva entirely, "Now, shall we start the horror show? I want the two of you to make an appearance in front of your entire guild! Once they see the two of you, who were so full of pride, in such a pitiful state, the rest of you scum are sure to give up!"

Despite the state she was in, Dori shouted through her pain, "Erza! You can't let someone as cold-hearted as him win! Fight!"

"That's good! I want you to keep struggling until your spirit is withered away!" José retorted, "The more wretched you look, the easier it will be for your peers to surrender!"

"STOP! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU!" Palva screamed, her eyes filled with tears at the sight of her sister and Erza.

Erza, who was not finding any way to escape the scenario, squinted with one eye at Dori, who made eye contact with her. ' _I'd rather die than cause my friends to surrender!'_ she thought to herself, looking behind her to see her Black Wing Armor sword in the ground nearby. She could only think of one thing to do; Not give José what he wants. ' _I leave the rest up to… Natsu… Everyone…'_ she finished, closing her eyes and focusing.

Dori looked at her, then detected movements behind her. She saw Erza's sword float upwards, flipping around, and pointing towards her back. _'She's telepathically connecting with her sword to…'_ she realized, then her eyes dilated in horror, "No, don't do it!" Her pleas were not answered as the sword was shot towards Erza, who was ready for the strike. "NO! ERZA!" Dori cried, desperate to stop her from committing suicide. There was no way of stopping her. The sword nearly reached her.

Suddenly, there was a loud thunder rumble. Erza stopped her sword's movements as she felt something, as did the rest of the group. A warm light suddenly enveloped the entire room. The Shadow magic was dying down. The Fairy Tail mages armor and clothing were starting to repair themselves. Their wounds started to heal thanks to a glowing light surrounding them.

"But how?" Erza started. "This light…" Dori muttered, feeling it encase her being.

"It's…so pleasant." Palva added, her shadowy bindings disappearing, as did Erza's and Dori's.

All three of them landed on the ground, while José was startled at what had just transpired. He looked behind him, seeing something appear floating out of the light from the outside, already knowing who it was. Palva looked up at the person, and Dori and Erza turned at the feeling of his presence. It was Master Makarov, fully restored.

"You have shed the blood of our children, and that is unforgivable." he growled, landing on a taller pile of rubble, "Because of their parent's failure, the children have suffered and shed tears. This war between us has gone long enough. Let's end this, here and now!"

Erza was started to shed a tear from one of her eyes, but she brushed it away as she beamed up at the sight of Makarov. "Master…" she muttered, happy to see him.

"Looks like he's arrived in time to save all of us." Dori muttered, amazed at the magic energy he used.

Everyone started to come around at this point, as well, blessed by Makarov's magic energy. Dori looked to her sister, who was struggling to rise to her feet, but otherwise stable. Thanks to Makarov's light, she was slowly regaining her physical strength. _Looks like she's able to move, too._ she noticed, sighing in relief.

Her body expression then shifted as she curled her fists, and turned to Erza, who rose to her feet, still at awe at their Master's presence. "Erza?" she spoke up, drawing the scarlet-haired swordswoman attention.

"Dori, are you oka-?" she started, but she was interrupted by a hard slap across the face by the Crystal mage, startling her and the others who noticed the action.

"First Gray on Galuna…and now you, here…" Dori snarled, and she gave Erza a glare that even scared her a bit, "Killing yourself is not the answer to anything! I will only cause pain to those who care about you! If you so much as try that again, I WILL PERSONALLY PUMMEL YOU UNTIL YOU LEARN YOUR LESSON! NEVER DO THAT AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME?!"

Erza took a step back at this lecture. She had gotten harsh remarks from people close to her age before, but this was the first time that she was afraid of someone's rage and words towards her. Dori was absolutely serious about what she had said, especially when she then added, "GIVE ME YOUR WORD! NEVER TRY TO KILL YOURSELF LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Erza was still in shock, but she answered, "Y-Yes…I understand…"

"Dori, I understand you have some sort of anger towards Erza right now, but you must leave at once." Makarov ordered her, "You did your part here. I'll end this war, right now!"

José snickered as his retina's turned black as night. his pupil's became yellow, and he pulsed with evil black energy, having full confidence that he will end Makarov's life on this day.

"If we fight here, it could cause a catastrophe." the evil guild master stated.

The veins on Makarov's forehead showed as he concentrated light magic into one of his fingertips. "For the sake of the guild, I will gladly take that chance!" Both masters were pulsing with so much energy, it caused the entire guild to shake and for small pieces of rubble to rise.

Dori looked to the Makarov, then back at José. She glared harshly at him, and saw her sister slide down the rubble towards her and Erza. Dori had gone beyond the level of reasoning or care. There was no mercy for the man before her. The kids gloves were off.

"Erza, take my sister, and go." Dori ordered, walking around the rubble, not even showing the slightest bit of fear, "I'll stay."

"But the master said-!" Erza started.

"I know what he said, but I'm disobeying him." Dori interrupted, stepping forth and taking a stand in between the two guild masters, "I have a score to settle…" Makarov looked down at Dori, concerned about her reckless decision.

"So you plan to interfere in a battle between two Mage Saints?" José questioned Dori, "I must admit, you are brave, but a foolish child! As far as I'm concerned, you are nothing but a piece of trash just waiting to be crushed under my feet, like the rest of Fairy Tail."

"You attacked Fairy Tail, hurt so many innocent mages, destroyed the guild hall…" Dori listed down, "You tried to kidnap Lucy, and you tortured my sister and Erza in front of me." Her eyes flashed in anger as she barked, "You pissed me off beyond belief! Now, you're gonna pay for it!"

She closed her eyes, placing a hand on her chest. "I've been holding back all this time." she warned him, "It's time for you to see what I'm truly capable of!"

A light magic circle shined from her hand as she chanted, " **Second Origin…Release!** " The magic circle shined, reacting to her words. All of a sudden, a blast of shining white energy surged from her body, skyrocketing into the air like a geyser. The burst of magic energy was so powerful, her hairband near the end of her hair snapped, allowing her hair to fan out wide from the updraft of her magic power. Her eyes opened up slowly, glaring fiercely at the startled José. ' _Where in the heck did this come from?!'_ the dark mage questioned.

"Unbelievable…" Erza muttered, holding Palva up as she felt the sudden surge of magic, "I never even knew…she had this much power in her!"

Mirajane and Pastry were the first to rise from the other fallen comrades, looking up to see the scenario take place. "Master. He's here!" Mirajane gasped, "And…what's going on with Dori?!"

"Oh boy. She's serious now!" Pastry stated, "José must've drove her to showing off her full power to him."

"Her full power?" Mirajane questioned.

The two heard groans, and saw Gray, Elfman and Leon rise up. "What is this warm, familiar magical power?" Gray asked.

"I know…this power…" Leon muttered. All the guys looked up and saw, to their surprise, the scenario taking place, with Makarov standing on one end, José on the other, and an empowered Dori standing in the dead center of it.

José sneered as he unleashed several skull-faced streams at Dori, who stomped her foot, creating a crystal wall that, somehow, was stronger and sturdier than before, taking all of his attacks with ease. She then stomped the ground again, launching the crystal out of the ground, and with a thrust of her palm, she sent it colliding with the rubble José stood on, destroying it entirely and causing him to flip off of it, standing a good ways away from her.

Dori stepped in front of Palva and Erza as she repeated, "Did you not hear my orders? Take my sister and everyone else out of here. I'll stay and fight."

Erza, who was just stunned by Dori's sudden surge of magic energy, was unable to move for a moment. Then, she felt the younger Himeka sibling grab her by the arm as she stated, "We have to go. If we don't we'll just get in the way."

"I'll stay by her side in case things go wrong!" Makarov called out, "Just go!" Understanding her master and Palva's assurances, she decided to put her faith in Dori.

She carried Palva over to the rest of the group as she ordered, "We have to do as they say."

"But what about Gramps and Dori?!" Gray demanded, as Elfman and Leon were making sure Mirajane was okay.

"Don't worry about a thing." Pastry assured the group, getting their attention, "When Dori unlocks her Second Origin, her strength is insurmountable. Trust me, Leon and Palva when we say she is the strongest among us for a reason."

"Second Origin?" Mirajane echoed, rising to her feet thanks to Elfman

"What the heck is that?" Elfman asked.

"We'll explain outside. Right now, we have to go!" Leon ordered. Erza led the team out, supporting Palva as they left the interior of the iron giant.

Once they were in the clear, José looked curiously at Dori. "You know, I was planning on fighting Makarov, now that he's here, so that I can demonstrate myself as the superior Mage Saint." he started, causing Makarov to narrow his eyes, "But now that I see this whole new side of you, I might as well take you out before I crush him! Then, I'll be able to swoop in and take Palva away for my own purposes!"

"You think you're so tough." Dori taunted, "Trying to show up at Fairy Tail's doorstep with this giant tin can, showing off your big weapons and mages like they were play things, and acting like a school bully who wants someone's lunch money. That's exactly what you are!"

Both mages sparked with powerful energy from their body; dark violet from José and shining white from Dori. "But I'm more than just that, my dear. I'm one of the ten Mage Saints!" José stated, "That means I'm one of this kingdom's strongest mages. Do you think you have a chance against me?!"

"Let's find out!" Dori answered, producing a magic circle at her feet, "This time, I'm fighting not just for my sister, but for the people that fought alongside me against you to protect her and Lucy. The guild I am proud to be a part of; Fairy Tail!"

Both mages charged up their energy, and José shot a powerful blast of energy from the palm of his hand, while Dori shouted, " **Crystal Stardust!** ", sending a gust of crystal dust straight back at José, concentrating all of it to hold back the shadowy magic. The two entered into a stalemate, with shadows and crystals countering one another, with neither one being able to push the other back.

José then used a free hand to send another stream to curve around and hit Dori from the side. She countered by stomping her foot again, creating a magic circle and another Crystal Halfpipe, curving José's attack right back at him, hitting him square on and causing him to stop his attack. Dori's Crystal Stardust then followed, pushing him and scarring his clothing with the shards blowing past him.

"Is that all you got?" Dori asked, diminishing her crystals without raising a finger.

José growled as he raised a hand, gathering a huge amount of magic energy into a sphere. " **Death Wave!** " he roared, unleashing the full blast in a similar manner to that of the Jupiter Cannon. Dori got hit by the attack, and there was a massive explosion that could be seen from the outside, along with the shockwave of the attack. Makarov was in shock she took the blast, and was worried for her safety.

His worries were soon diminished when it revealed she placed up a Crystal Dome around herself. She shattered it, and with a magic circle, she transformed the crystals into two long Crystal Pinnacles that encased her arms. " **Crystal Deity: Njord!** " she roared, slamming the two crystals together, aiming at José as she made a warcry, unleashing a typhoon directly at him. He merely cackled at he took the blast, which caused a humongous blast of wind and rubble to explode all about the area.

* * *

Up above, Natsu got flung off of where he laid from the impact of Dori's attack, landing on the floor below.

"Natsu!" Happy cried, still carrying Lucy. "Are you okay?" the Celestial mage asked.

"Yeah, I'm just fine!" Natsu answered.

"What the heck is going on?" Happy asked, looking at the sky.

Lucy watched as Natsu questionably sniffed the air, then looked surprised as he stated, "I can smell it… This is Dori's magic!"

"Wait, Dori?!" Lucy asked, both she and Happy startled at his discovery.

Natsu was surprised for a second, then he beamed a grin as he stated, "I don't know how she got so strong, but it looks like she's settling the score!"

* * *

Back in the battle, Dori watched as the debris fell all about the area, waiting for José's appearance out of it. When he came to, he was slightly injured, but otherwise unfazed.

"If that's your best, then I'm far from amused!" the dark mage roared, unleashing a hurricane of darkness at Dori, who slammed the crystals to the ground, pull-vaulting herself over José's attack with them and a gust of wind. She then dislodged the crystals from her hands, sending them like torpedoes at her target. José swished his hand, sending a crescent of dark energy to slice the crystals before they hit him, creating an explosion.

" **Crystal Deity: Baldr!** " the Crystal mage shouted, and through the explosion, José saw an oncoming blast of light magic shooting at him, hitting him head on. Dori had revealed herself, still in midair, wielding another Crystal Pinnacle, with four short spike sticking out from all around the sides.

"You think I'm using my best?! You haven't seen anything yet!" she roared, and she grasped the arm of her crystal-encased hand, and unleashed the pinnacle at him like a rocket. The spikes dislodged themselves from the main crystal, creating a scattering shower that José dodged.

Dori landed on the ground as José swiped his hand, unleashing a blast of darkness that encased the area around his target. Dori doubled back before the attack came through, skidding to a halt as she slammed her palms to the ground, creating a magic circle. " **Crystal Lock!** " she roared. A magic circle appeared at José's feet, and he looked down in time to see himself getting completely encased in crystal, from head to toe.

Dori then further added to it as she growled, " **Lacrima Release: Light!** " The Crystal Lock suddenly shined brightly, masking José in the blinding light and preventing him from using his Phantom magic.

"A Mage Saint? Don't make me laugh!" Dori scoffed, producing a crystal that angled behind her feet, "You don't know the strength people have in the Alvarez Empire, do you? Well, I've fought them so many times in my life, that I can tell you right now…" She used the crystal at her feet to create small Crystal Launchers that shot her at José, "…Compared to them, you are merely standard level at best!"

She produced a magic circle at her fist, and punched the crystal encasing José, jettisoning him out the other end, flying up the stairs, and causing him to slam into the wall on the far end, creating an explosion of smoke. Dori skidded to a halt, glaring harshly at her opponent.

Meanwhile, Makarov was wide-eyed at the battle he was witnessing. _'Unbelievable! I had no idea there were children of her age with this much magical power.'_ he thought to himself, _'She might even be on the same level as Gildarts! How could she had gained such a level of power is beyond me!'_

José fell down the wall, landing on his hands and knees. He soon realized his position, and he seethed with rage as he pulsed with an great amount of black energy. "Unbelievable… To think I would stoop so low as to be kneeling before one of Makarov's children!" he growled, slowly rising back up to his feet, his eyes practically bulging in anger as he looked at the person who struck him back, "HOW DARE YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OUT OF ME! I AM THE MASTER OF THE ALL-POWERFUL PHANTOM LORD GUILD! YOU SHOULD BE KNEELING BEFORE ME!"

He began summoning a pair of large skull-faced will-o-wisps, black and dark purple, floating all about him, cackling and staring at Dori with looks that even made the skulls of skeletons seem tame. "I won't hold back anything on you, girl!" José barked at her, "You, Makarov, and all of Fairy Tail will perish from existence!"

Dori looked at the attack he was preparing to use. She then closed her eyes, spiraling her hands until they came together in front of her, like she was holding a ball. " **Lacrima Release: Earth! Wind! Light!** " she chanted, and the two forms of magic suddenly started to come from each of her hands, blending together. She then clapped her palms together, and slammed the ground with both hands, creating a shining magic circle. The ground began to shake from the tremendous magic power she was pouring into her next attack. She then stood up as a crystal started to take a form from behind her, glowing an amber and white hue. As the crystal grew, it started producing numerous branches all about, nine in total, and despite being crystal, they moved in a fluid motion.

"THIS IS IT! NOW DIE!" José roared, unleashing the two massive skulls at Dori, their power breaking the ground as they charged.

" **Great Crystal Deity: Yggdrasil!** " Dori shouted, raising an open palm in the air, making the tree-shaped crystal behind her shine. She then waved her hands forward, and the branches of the tree suddenly shot forward as fluently as elastic. The shining branches pierced right through José's attack, diminishing it before it came close to Dori. The branches then came at José, who stood in shock as five of the lower branches bound his wrists, legs, and waist, shoving him back into the wall once more. He stood, gaping-mouthed, unable to move or even fight back. He was helpless.

"All you ever did was take from others for your own selfish desire." Dori stated, slowly walking up the steps towards him, "You are so obsessed with power and being number one, that you showed little to no remorse for your actions of what you done to this guild and the people within it. You are a sorry excuse of a human being, let alone a master of this guild, for you have no care for the pain of others around you."

She stopped meters away from the pinned José, with the four remaining branches surrounding above and around her. "Let me demonstrate to you what you were so ignorant of learning, and make you understand the consequences of your actions!" Dori declared, the tips of the branches starting to bloom flowers. " _Unleash thy power, Yggdrasil! The winds of the four gnawing beasts from the highest shoots!_ **Grímnismál Hirtir**!" From the four blossomed branches shot forward at José, and his eyes were blinded by the oncoming threat.

* * *

From the outside, everyone watched as there was a light shining from the place where the battle took place, and it became brighter and brighter. The magic energy of the light was so powerful, it was destroying José's phantoms with ease, while blinding everyone else.

"What's with that light?!" Alzack questioned, "It's so strong!"

"It's destroying the phantoms, but not us!" Bisca noticed, feeling a slight tingle from the magic, but nothing damage inflicting.

Then, as soon as the light started to shine brightly, there was a massive explosion coming from the back of the giant. The Fairy Tail mages who escaped it turned at the sight and sound of the attack.

"What the heck is that?!" Gray questioned in surprise.

"That's Dori." Leon answered, "This is what happens when you are an enemy that drove her to using her full strength."

"This is her power?!" Erza questioned in surprise, "I thought the Master's magic was tremendous, but I never expected Dori to possess magic of this caliber!"

"When the entire continent is set out to get me, Dori made sure to become strong enough to fight the entire continent back." Palva explained, gaining enough strength to stand on her own, "She has fought for so long, training herself so hard, studied so many books, that she has gone beyond the levels of anyone twice her age. This is why, when I know I can't fight, that I can always rely on her to save me."

"Indeed." Leon agreed, "She is, without a doubt, the strongest among all of us. And the one with the greatest heart, as well." The others continued looked to them, then back at the giant beyond, as the light was dying down.

* * *

Back inside, or rather, what remained of it after everything above was destroyed, Dori stood there, staring down at the unconscious José, who's head was dangling off the end of the broken hallway. His eyes were blank, and his mouth was gaping. His clothing was singed, and covered in dust. He was completely, and utterly defeated.

Makarov approached to her right as she finished, "Those who are ignorant of other's pain should understand what they're missing. When they learn, they grow stronger to prevent themselves and others they hold dear to them to feel that pain. And that is what I have done for a decade; I fight to protect, not to gain, unlike him."

The Fairy Tail guild master looked to Dori, then back at José. "So the source of your magic is to protect." he understood, "I can finally see where your power comes from, and it is indeed a righteous power. One worthy to be a part of Fairy Tail."

Dori looked back at Makarov, smiling weakly at him. She had used a lot of magic in this fight, and it was starting to catch up on her.

"I bet he won't ever cause us trouble again." Makarov continued, turning away, "Though, I can tell the Magic Council will not stay silent after all this chaos. We might as well be on our best behavior."

Dori looked to him, wondering. The Magic Council. She had almost forgotten about them when she came to this land. If they learned about Palva being among them, how would they react? Would they act the same way as the people of Alakitasia? She was worried about so many things involving them and Palva. What would she do if and when they arrive? These were questions that needed to be asked, but they could be answered later on. For now, she had to go back and check up on the others.

Just then, Aria suddenly reappeared out of thin air, approaching Dori from behind, his eye and mouth wide open, tears pouring from his eyes. _'The master has fallen! How sad!'_ he told himself, preparing a Drain spell, _'The girl who defeated me and him has left herself wide open. This is my chance!'_

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Dori questioned, not even turning her head as she felt his presence. She was about to act when a =fist suddenly came from in front of her, slamming Aria in the face and sending him crashing into some rubbles. The fist came from Makarov, who didn't even turn as his arms stretched out like rubber. Aria's hat hit the floor as the guild master retracted his limb, standing in one place. Dori looked at Makarov, waiting for a reaction.

"The war is over. The battle the guilds is finished!" he told the defeated Aria, "But if you try anything more, I'll wipe out your entire guild without hesitation." He then turned with a calm face as he finished, "Now you kids run home, and take José with you." Dori smiled at this, although his change in personality in the last bit was a bit puzzling.

All of the other guild members down below, with Lucy and Happy in the sky, and Natsu still laying on his back, all realized the conclusion of the fight. "ALL RIGHT! WE BEAT PHANTOM!" they all cheered, and started celebrating with joy in their hearts. The day was won for them. Everyone could finally stop fighting.

Dori and Makarov approached the outside edge, on the roof of where Gray, Palva and Juvia had their fight, looking down at the celebrating guild members. "We are victorious!" he announced to everyone, "But I had very little to do with it. This victory is yours, my children!"

Dori looked down at where Palva, Leon and Pastry were, along with the rest of Fairy Tail around them. They all smirked back up at her, while she smiled and nodded back. Truly, this was a victory for the guild they only recently became a part of. They managed to protect the people most dearest to them. Now, they could rest…for the time being.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long time it took to do this, but IRL, my job had started picking up quite a lot, due to the lack of staff working in the devision I'm part of. So I'm pretty much working 5/7 days a week, eight hour shifts (8am-4pm), and they require a lot of energy. So when I'm not working, I'm usually resting my weary bones, mentally relaxing myself, and not having enough mentality to constantly write. As the fall comes in, I should find myself with more workers, so I might catch up with next chapter soon, along with reviews for a certain friend of mine's work.**

 **Anyways, that's the conclusion of the Phantom Lord arc. A nice and long story, including several battles. But were you guys surprised by the introduction of Dori's full power? The names of her Crystal Deity attacks are based off of Norse Mythology, which is where I'll focus a lot of her magic from. She may seem overpowering, but soon, everyone will catch up with her. Right now, she's pretty much at Gildarts level of power, so a definite force to be reckon with for someone who's only 16 years old. Where she gets this tremendous amount of power is something that will be shown more in later times, and trust me when I say that she will grow a bit stronger here and there as time goes on.**

 **Now, you might think I would go into the Tower of Heaven arc, but there is a slight detail that needs to be notified; Palva & the Magic Council. They will arrive and there will be conflict involving her, her friends and family, and the solution to curing her of her curse. There will be a two-three episode arc involving Natsu and her finding a way to help the female Dragon Slayer control her flames without her lance. It's called 'Rise of Ashes' Arc. The name of the arc will be explained during this time.**

 **What are you opinions of my story so far? I know a lot of you are still wondering about my SAK: Heart's Origin story on hold, but please be patient! In due time, when the inspiration once again kicks in, I'll get back to it. I know the next chapter of that is Tarzan's world, and I had played that place in my 'Kingdom Hearts 1.5 & 2.5 Remix', and let me just say how annoyed I was with the vine swinging mechanics. Never again! I'll stick to gliding! I'm also assisting my buddy, Coral the Leviathan' in her work 'Huntsmen in Kalos', developing story chapters for her in that. I'm pretty swamped with things I need to do, and with so little time and energy to do it.**

 **As always, leave a review and a like. I love people reviewing my work, and I don't mind criticisms, as long as they aren't just plain abusive. Please be patient for the next chapter of Burning Hearts of Fairies!**


	11. The Tale of Azure Cleaver

In Fairy Hills, the woman's dorm of the Fairy Tail guild, Dori unlocked a room, and opened it up. It was a simple design, with all the essentials of a dorm room, including a single bed on the side, a dresser, a table with two chairs, the usual kinds of things you would find. There were no decorative things added yet, since Dori had only just recently gained the room, and she carried very little before. She noticed her bag laying on the bed, and a notebook on the table facing the window. It was a diary that Levy bought for her to use to write, just in case she needed to. Dori figured now, after everything that happened this past week and a half, was the time to use it.

She walked over and sat down to it, with a blank expression. She opened the first page, and noticed a little note on the back side of the cover. 'If this isn't enough, you can always talk to me or Fairy Tail about your problems.' -Levi.

Dori smiled at these words. She knew she picked the right guild to be a part of. She looked at the first blank page of the diary, wondering where to start. Finally, she took the pen, and placed it at the top of the paper. She paused for a second to rethink how to start, then she began to write:

 _"Entry #1. This is my first time ever writing a diary, since I never even considered trying to. If I ever did write things, it was ideas to help my sis, or interesting stories I read in the library, or ideas for techniques for my Crystal magic. I never wrote for myself, or displayed what I felt in pen and paper. Forgive me if my first entry is a bit of a screwup, but I think I'll start on the day when me, Leon, Pastry and Palva joined Fairy Tail."_

 _"I guess I should explain that when we came to the guild, it was already attacked by an intense rival guild called Phantom Lord. Turns out, there was more to this attack than just spite, but a request by the father of Lucy Heartfilia to take her back home. However, when they heard of my sister's appearance, they added her to the list of people to take, due to her having an 800 million jewel bounty in the Western Continent."_

 _"It was rough. The battles we took place in. The close shaves of almost losing people's lives. But nevertheless, the Fairy Tail guild one, and José was defeated. I can't deny that it was an intense start to being part of the guild, not to mention a scary one. When Fairy Tail learned the truth about Palva, we were worried they would turn her in for her bounty, or something worse. What we never expected was for them to defend Palva, not even caring about her bounty or her criminal records. They fought for her and alongside us against Phantom Lord, and we were victorious. Then, once we gathered back together, this was when the care they had sealed the deal for us…"_

* * *

After the defeat of José, everyone gathered together back at the completely destroyed Fairy Tail guild hall. The sun was starting to set on them, making the sky orange. Master Makarov was standing in front of the guild hall, looking a bit despairingly at the wreckage remains. Leon and Pastry were standing nearby where the Strauss siblings were, while Dori was standing within the crowd, with Palva disappeared somewhere in it.

"It's in ruins. They really did a number on it." Makarov sighed.

"U-Um…Master…" muttered a voice from behind. The master turned to see Lucy, hesitantly approaching him.

"Oh, child. You had a really rough time, didn't you?" Makarov asked her. Dori looked to her, worried. She was part of the reason Phantom Lord attacked in the first place.

"Yeah, why don't you put a smile on your face?" said another voice. Lucy, recognizing it, turned in surprise to see Levy, Jet, Troy and Reedus standing together. "Levy, you're alright!" she gasped.

"Yep, we're back again." Levy stated, giving her a wink, "We beat Phantom, so there's no need for you to be sad."

"Even though the guild was destroyed…" Troy started. "…But we'll rebuild it bigger and better than ever!" Jet finished, with Reedus agreeing. Lucy was a bit haphazard at their cheerful statement, not sure if they were just putting on a brave face or not.

"I'm sorry we made you guys worry." Levy apologized, turning to where Dori was, "Same goes for you and Palva. Thanks for at least coming to our rescue back then." She was recounting the night the two sisters faced Gajeel the first time.

"We're sorry we didn't make it there sooner." Dori apologized, "But still, it's good to see you guys up again."

"Speaking of which, where is Palva?" Gray asked, looking about, "Did she disappear?"

"I'm right here…" muttered Palva's voice. She appeared behind a part of the fallen guild, crouching there previously to hide herself from everyone else. She walked over next to Dori, scared.

"You don't have to be afraid." Levy assured her, "We're not angry you didn't arrive in time."

"It's not that." Palva responded, "It's just…I…" She was too scared to tell her the truth. Dori looked at her with worry, as did Leon and Pastry.

"We heard the truth about you and Lucy." Levy told her, "But no one is putting the blame on you guys."

"Oui. Actually, I want to apologize to Lucy for not being of much help to you." Reedus apologized. Lucy seemed like she was the one who was suppose to apologize, for being the reason this war started in the first place.

"But…" Palva started, tearing up a bit from fear. However, she broke down as she stated, "But I'm a criminal! I have a humongous bounty on my head! How can I be around you when I'm constantly just gonna bring in people who want my head?! How can you live with me being a burden to all of you?!"

She stifled her sobs, trying hard not to break down. Despite the heat of the battle, where she knew that some of guild mates wouldn't betray her, she still had her doubts. She was still terrified of being betrayed by the guild she started to like.

"You are not a burden to us, nor are you a criminal." Makarov told her, drawing her attention, "You are merely a victim of false accusations and uncontrolled magic. Dori told me everything about you and your past, and even if you were worth a billion jewels, we would feel guilty even thinking of turning you in when you've been punished for so long."

He turned to both Palva and Lucy as he stated, "We may not share the same happiness or sadness entirely, we do share them to some extent. That's what it means to be part of a guild. One person's happiness becomes everyone's happiness, and the same can be said for one person's anger or tears. There's no need to be afraid of being a burden or blame. You two are neither one of those things, so there's no need to cry. You already can see how much we all care about you. Hold your heads high, for you are proud members of Fairy Tail."

Despite him saying there was no need to cry, the two were already in tears. Lucy, unable to hold back after being accepted so much by the master, bursted out on sobs, collapsing to her knees as Levy walked over and gave her a hug.

Palva still held back as best as she could, covering her face from view. She had never met a guild master like this, nor a guild with such an open heart. They cared for her so much, that they wouldn't dare betray her, nor toss her away, despite how her bounty would attract all kinds of villainy. They would protect her, and bear her burden as well.

Just then, she felt arms wrap around her, as Dori came down to her level, and gave her a big hug. She, too, was tearing up at the kind words of the guild master. "This guild…really is a wonderful one, isn't it?" she asked Palva with a slight hiccup in her voice.

Palva, knowing the answer, couldn't hold back anymore, and wrapped her free hand around her, bawling her heart out. "I LOVE THIS GUILD!" she sobbed, "I NEVER HAD SUCH LOVE! THANK YOU, EVERYONE!" She continued to bawl as Natsu gave her and Lucy a big grin. Everyone in the guild was so happy to see the two in such relief and joy to be part of this guild. Leon grinned in agreement at Palva's statement, and Pastry just turned away, rubbing his eyes. Fairy Tail was a blessing to the group.

* * *

Dori stopped, wiping away the tears that formed from remembering that moment. She then continued to write,

 _"…On that day, we knew that we were in good hands with Fairy Tail. I was glad to know that this guild, which my sister chose to be a part of, was the perfect group for us._

 _However, it wasn't long before something heart-clenching happened. The Magic Council's army, the Rune Knights, arrived to the scene and rounded us up."_

* * *

The group of Fairy Tail mages came together as they were surrounded by a group of heavily armed mages, dressed in white and aqua green robes.

"Don't move! We are the Magic Council Enforcement and Investigation Squad Rune Knights!" the head the knights declared.

"Crap, they're here already?!" Gray questioned. "They learned about this already?!" Macao asked with a scared expression.

Natsu and Happy tried to make a run for it, but ended up trapped in a magic circle. "It's no use, Natsu." Mirajane stated, "It's not possible to run away from the Rune Knights."

Makarov was suddenly bawling for some strange reason, terrified at having prison time. "Get ahold of yourself, Master!" Erza barked at him.

Leon, Pastry and Dori all covered Palva, as she cowered behind the trio. The Magic Council must've surely knew of Palva by now.

* * *

 _"…We were taken to an outpost and interrogated about what had happened. I had to make sure me or someone from my guild was always by Palva's side, so as not to be left alone for the Magic Council to interrogate. They were pretty hard on her, as they did know about her bounty. It was the next day where they announced it…"_

* * *

"Due to the crimes listed on your bounty, Palva Himeka, we have no choice but to place you under arrest!" the head Rune Knight declared, as Palva stood, scared of what was to come.

"Hold on! Palva's innocent!" Natsu roared, being held back by Erza as he wanted to attack, "She's done nothing wrong!"

"He's right! Palva's magic is unstable. Those crimes are not on purpose!" Leon added furiously.

"Even so, she is responsible for all of the charges listed on her bounty." The head Rune Knight stated, "By the law of the kingdom, she is to be imprisoned as the Magic Council decides what to do with her."

Palva stood there, petrified as they approached her, readying magic restraining cuffs to put on her. However, Dori stepped in between, shielding her sister.

"So that's it? You're just gonna arrest her and take her away without any defense?!" the Crystal Mage demanded, "She has done nothing wrong on purpose! She has no control over her magic, and she has suffered because of it! You don't know a damn thing about what she has been through, but she does not deserve this! If you even try to take her away like this, I will not hesitate to fight back!"

The Rune Knights all raised their staffs, ready to attack if she fought. Some of the Fairy Tail mages were also ready to fight by her side, prepared to defend Palva with everything they had. Natsu, in particular, was itching for a fight.

"Hold on." Makarov stopped her, getting her attention, "Dori, I agree that this is an unfair way to deal with Palva, but force will not solve anything."

"Well then, what do you plan on having me do?! Letting them take her away?!" Dori questioned the guild master, not phasing from her position.

"Certainly not. At least, not like this." Makarov answered, turning to the head of the Rune Knights, "If I may, I would ask that Palva would be given a fair trial for the accusations placed on that bounty. Firstly, the bounty hails from the Western Continent, and as such, her crimes have not affected this kingdom, yet. She is merely a child with magic that is unstable, and she came to this continent to find a cure. Surely, if we have proof of her instability of her magic, she would gain the help she needs to gain control over it. That way, she won't cause any more trouble like what is on the wanted poster."

The Rune Knights looked to one another, seeing he had a point. Finally, the head Rune Knight stated, "We shall discuss this with the Magic Council. Please give us a minute. He walked over, pulling out a communication lacrima to discuss on what to do for Palva.

"Master…" Palva muttered, looking at him with a worried expression.

Makarov grinned gently at her, and patted her shoulder. "Worry not, my child. I will make sure to go to any lengths to make sure you are defended properly. You and your sister are both Fairy Tail mages, and thus are my children to care for."

Palva was greatly appreciated by Makarov's assurance, but she was still terrified. One way or another, she was still arrested.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Leon asked, "For all we know, they might deny any of our words to defend her, and they might keep her imprisoned for who knows how long, or worse…"

"I understand the risks, but if you run now, then how can Fairy Tail protect you all?" Makarov asked, surprising the group, "Do you like being part of this guild?"

The trio looked to one another, realizing what he was speaking about. If they fled now, they would still be fugitives and no longer members of Fairy Tail. The best way to stay a part of the guild was to do exactly what Makarov suggested. They turned to him, and nodded in answer to his question.

Finally, after a minute of talking, the head Rune Knight returned and said, "The Council will agree to your terms. However, he requests the guild master and Palva Himeka's sister to come along with us in order to get your side of the story."

"Of course. I'll be glad to." Makarov answered.

"There's no way I'd walk away without defending her." Dori stated, "I am her sister, and I will stay by her side till the bitter end!"

After a quick discussion of what was to come, they placed the magic-restraining cuffs on Palva, taking her Dragonic Fang for good measure, before the trio walked off, with a group of the Rune Knights walking right next to them. The rest of Fairy Tail could only watch, helplessly, as they saw to of their dear friends and their master walk away.

"Man, this sucks!" Natsu growled, punching his fist, "I will make sure she doesn't get imprisoned for long!"

"Natsu, that's enough." Erza stopped him, "We have to put our faith in the master and Dori to defend Palva. It's the only way for her to stay a member of Fairy Tail." Natsu grimaced, but knew that this was the only way to do it without throwing punches. All he could do was pray for her return to the guild.

After a while, the knights and the three guild mages were well outside Magnolia. Makarov's frown showed how serious he was in defending one of his own 'children', and while Dori was worried about all of this, she had faith in the guild master. Still, this did not avoid her gaze on Palva, watching her as she wandered ahead of them, surrounded by Rune Knights.

Suddenly, Palva stopped in her tracks without warning. Dori and Makarov also stopped, as did the Rune Knights surrounding her. She was beginning to shake, like she was afraid…no, like she was trying to hold back another emotion.

"Palva?" Dori muttered, wondering what was wrong with her.

"Hey, keep moving." ordered one of the Rune Knights, grabbing her shoulder. This was a mistake, as he was suddenly sent flying by her with a spin kick. She roared in rage as she tried pulling off her cuffs, which were pointless. The Rune Knights surrounding her started raising their staffs, ready to stop her.

"Wait, stop!" Dori called out, racing out of Makarov's reach to her sister, who began attacking left and right with nothing but her body. "Palva, that's enough!" the Crystal Mage declared, grabbing Palva by the arm to restrain her. She suddenly felt intense heat burning the palm of her hand, and she retracted with a gasp of pain. She looked at her hand, and saw the red scalding it was given just by touching her. She looked up, and saw her eyes becoming a glowing red. This was not normal.

"We have to stop her, now!" ordered the Rune Knights. They channeled their magic, and caused Palva to float in the air. She strangled to break free, roaring in rage. "YOU FOOLS!" she roared, her voice sounded like two people speaking at once; her's, and something even more sinister, "YOU WILL NOT HOLD ME! I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL, AND DROWN IN THE DEEPEST OF DESPAIR!"

"What's going on with her?!" Makarov demanded, shocked at her demeanor.

"We have no choice! We have to execute her, now!" ordered the lead Rune Knight, and they readied their weapons.

Dori's pupils shrunk and she stomped the ground hard, creating a wall of crystal that blocked the knights. "Don't you dare do that!" she roared, and she raced to the knight who had Palva's lance. She snatched it out of his grasp, and raced to Palva, who still was floating off the ground, squirming and roaring like a caged beast. She shoved the Dragonic Fang into Palva's restrained hands, burning her hands more as she wrapped Palva's fingers around it. All at once, Palva suddenly started to calm down, and her eyes reverted back to normal. Her roars died down, slowly replaced by pants and whimpers.

"Palva, talk to me!" Dori ordered as the Rune Knights got around the Crystal Wall, seeing the status of Palva.

The Dragon Slayer looked about, realizing where she was at, then asked, "Wha-what happened?"

"You lost control of your sanity again." Dori explained, "I don't know what happened either. You just started lashing out at people like crazy."

Palva looked at her for a moment, then noticed her sister's hands. "Dori, you-." she started.

"Yeah. You were heating up pretty badly." Dori stated, looking at the condition of her hands, "You weren't flaming, but your body started exerting an intense heat."

"But that's impossible!" the lead Rune Knight retorted, "With her magic-restraining handcuffs, she shouldn't be able to execute any form of magic."

"Which makes whatever she executed something even stranger than what we could imagine." Makarov stated, walking right next to him, "From what I witnessed, she calmed herself down when Dori gave her back that lance. It seems to be the only thing capable of restraining whatever sinister power is within her. I believe it would be best if she were to hold onto it while in custody."

The lead Rune Knight looked at the two sister, seeing Dori pull her sister carefully out of the magic circle holding her up, seeing the fear in the Dragon Slayer's eyes as she was scared of what she just went through. Finally, he answered, "Very well. But she will be watched more closely and more securely as we go to the Magic Council. We will also tell the council of what had just transpired here."

Dori, hearing this condition, nodded in confirmation, but she still held her sister close. She had just gone through a scary ordeal, and needed some sisterly comfort. The two walked together, surrounded by the Rune Knights, with Makarov and the lead Rune Knight following close as well. It was a long walk, and it only felt longer to the two sisters as they worried for whatever was gonna happen next.

* * *

 _(Dori writing) "I started to learn a bit more of Palva's condition at that point. See, I never allowed anyone to put those magic-restrainers on her before, and I didn't think it kindly to do it myself. So this was the first time something like this ever happened. Her loss of sanity and unleashed rage were not the result of magic, but something else. What's more, she was able to produce a heat from her body, almost like the flames were trying to come out and explode, but were bound within her little body. I know Palva wouldn't do that voluntarily, so it had to be some sort of internal force. But what was it? At that point, I had no clue. Yet, in over a week's time, I would find out."_

 _"Well, during our time meeting with the Magic Council, I got letters from my friends back at the guild. Mainly it was people like Lucy, Levi and Leon. Erza did try giving her own message of support to me…but, I thought I would lose consciousness from trying to comprehend her letter. It was a complete horror story that I dared not even try describing in my own writing."_

 _"From what I could gather from those I COULD read from, the Fairy Tail mages are all supporting us from afar. Erza had to constantly keep Natsu in check, to prevent him from chasing after us. Instead, they were rebuilding the guild hall, and from what I heard, they were trying to make it bigger and better than it was before. I hoped for my sister and I to be together to see it."_

 _"As for Lucy, she was able to return home and confront her father. Turns out he only wanted her to return so he can marry her to another rich family and bring more fortune to the Heartfilia family. Lucy didn't want any of that. She made sure that he would not hire guilds to attack Fairy Tail again, and practically broke all ties with him. I'm glad she had the resolve to go and do that. Hopefully that will bring peace to her heart, as well as all the other members of the guild who care for her."_

 _"Oh, I did get some news from Leon and Pastry, actually. Ever since the war, Leon and Elfman started training regularly. Apparently, Elfman was able to do a Full-Body Take Over during that event, and so Leon's helping him get the feel of using it. And during that time…"_

* * *

Leon roared as he charged in at the Beast Soul Elfman, his Aegis Blade at the ready. Elfman roared back as he raised a fist, and slammed hard at where Leon was at. He dodged to one side, and avoided another fist that came after. He swung his sword at Elfman, who leapt high to avoid it. The blue-haired mage didn't even falter as he slammed the flat side of his blade, launching himself up after Elfman.

" **Requip!** " he roared, and slowly changed his attire to the Swift Armor. Elfman turned and did an overhead knuckle slam right at the oncoming Leon, but he vanished. The manly beast was surprised until he sniffed out Leon behind him, but was too late to react as he slashed him hard with his spear, followed by an axe kick that sent him crashing into the ground, creating an explosion of dirt and rubble.

Leon landed on the ground next to Elfman, who reverted back to normal, bruised and injured. "Come on. You got the reflexes to stop me, but you didn't use them." the blue-haired swordsman stated, crouching down next to him, "You wanna be stronger so you can protect Fairy Tail? Well, I wanna get stronger so that if I need to, I can help Palva and Dori out. To do that, we need to push the boundaries of our powers, got it?"

Elfman squinted with one eye at Leon, and nodded in confirmation as he answered, "Yeah. Sorry about that. Still trying to make sure I don't lose control of the Beast. But I'm pretty sure I got the hang of it by now." He reached up, and Leon took his hand, pulling him back onto his feet again. "This time, I'll show you what a real man is capable of!" he declared, pumping his arms.

Leon smirked as he answered, "Sure, but after you and I recover a bit. You used a lot of magic in that battle. Let's take a half hour, then we'll go another round."

"You really are pushing Elfman to be better." said a voice. Mirajane was watching the two combat, with Pastry at her side. "Just make sure you don't push my little brother too far, okay?" She asked, grabbing a couple of mugs for the two.

"Don't worry about a thing." Leon assured her, taking his drink, "Elfman's a hell of a man, but I won't push him beyond unbearable. If I were that cruel, I would've said we had a ten minute break." He looked at Elfman, who snickered back.

The four of them sat down on a log nearby their training area, taking it easy on themselves. "You sure you don't mind being with us, sis?" Elfman asked, "Isn't the bar at the guild up and running?"

"Don't worry. I asked Cana to hold down the fort for me while I see you two." Mira explained.

This gained sweat dropped expressions from the boy from the thought of that. "Did you say CANA was holding down the bar?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, if there's a bar left when we come back." Elfman muttered, both of them thinking about Cana practically drinking the whole thing in one go. There goes the booze for the rest of the week.

"Don't worry. I did warn her that I checked how many bottles were on the shelves, so if she drinks any, it goes to her bill." Mirajane assured them with a twinkle.

"Smart thinking." Pastry stated. "But will that really stop her?" Elfman asked.

"Speaking of hard characters, I got to meet that Laxus guy the other day." Leon told the guys, "Guy's a real killjoy, that's for sure."

"I'll say. He's the worst man there is." Elfman growled, "Bad-mouthin' Jet and Troy for being useless, and Lucy for starting the war. He has no right when he wasn't even there to help!"

"I agree, he's a terrible person to act that way about his own guild, but it can't be helped." Mirajane stated, "After all, he is the grandson of Makarov."

"You sure he wasn't adopted somewhere down the line?" Pastry asked, in an attempt to break the ice.

"Well, I guess not everyone in a guild can be welcoming like you guys are." Leon stated, taking a drink, "Still, to talk like that, you have to be pretty tough to back it up. Is he any good?"

"He's an incredibly powerful Lightning magic user. One of our S-rank mages." Mirajane explained, "He, Mystogen and Erza are our three most powerful S-rank mages. We do have another one named Guildarts, but he's on a very long quest right now."

"Actually, I heard you were once an S-rank mage, too, Mirajane." Pastry recalled, "You don't seem that powerful. Did something happen to make you not have that rank anymore?"

At this, Elfman and Mirajane both gave saddened looks, reminding themselves the answer to that question. Leon, looking at the two, could guess what it probably was. Knowing it might be a bit blunt, he asked, "Does it involve Lisanna?" The Strauss siblings looked surprised at this, turning to him. Pastry also grew concerned as he brought her up.

"I was there fighting Sol, you know. So I did learn about how Lisanna died." he explained, looking down at his mug, "I know that must've caused some sort of trauma, and I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"No…it's okay…" Mira assured him, placing a hand over her heart, "She may not be with us, but she still lives on in our hearts. It's just…difficult to move on without her." Elfman remained silent, looking a bit depressed. He knew he was trying to move on, but still, reminding himself that he lost control and killed her was something he could not get over.

"The reason I brought her up wasn't just to bring back sad feelings, though…" Leon continued, "It's just…during that fight, when I saw Lisanna…my head screamed in pain, and I whited out. After that…I had a memory of her. I knew her…"

Both Elfman and Mirajane were surprised at this. "You knew Lisanna?" Elfman asked.

"But how? I don't ever remember her mentioning someone like you be-…" Mira started, then she stopped, looking at Leon's face. For a moment, she said nothing, but she seemed surprised. Finally, she muttered, "Hold on…could you really be…"

Leon and Elfman looked to her, wondering what she was gonna say. "What is it, sis?" Elfman asked. "You know something?" Leon questioned.

For a moment, Mira didn't answer. Finally, she asked, "Leon, does the name 'Azure Cleaver' mean anything to you?"

Leon looked surprised at this. That was the second time someone asked him about that name. Pastry looked downright confused. Elfman, on the other hand, looked at Leon with a shocked demeanor.

"You know what? He does look exactly like him!" he noted, "Damn, how did I not notice that?!"

"And not only that, but he also knows Requip magic, which was something Azure learned from Erza!" Mirajane added.

"I'm sorry, what?" Leon asked, surprised.

"Well, does it ring any bells?" Elfman asked, looking anxiously at him. Leon looked down, pondering, but he wasn't sure. "I…don't know…" he answered, "Porlyusica also said the same thing, but I didn't get any triggers then, either. Yet how you describe him sounds like a pretty darn close convenience. Maybe…if you guys told me a bit about him, I might recall something."

Both Mirajane and Elfman looked to one another. Then Mira started, "Well, Azure wasn't around long. He arrived to the guild a few months after Natsu joined the guild, so it was about over six years ago…"

* * *

( _Flashback_ ) Six and a half years ago, the guild was pretty much the same place as it was now. All sorts of mages were hanging about, looking for jobs to go on. Course, some of the old crowd of Fairy Tail was there, including a young Natsu, who still wore his checkered scarf, Gray, who was in his shorts, Cana, Erza, who even wore armor back then, a more youthful Macao and Wakaba, and Makarov, who really hadn't changed a bit. Then there was the Strauss siblings; Mirajane, who definitely had the rebellious bad girl wearing skimpy attire. Elfman, who had clean hair and wore a clean suit and pants. And finally Lisanna, who wore a simple pink and red-trimmed dress.

In the middle of the guild hall, Natsu and Gray were going at one another, throwing fist and kicks in a full-on spree, trying to beat the other one down. "I'm gonna take you down today, Gray!" Natsu roared. "Not a chance! I'm the one who's gonna win!" Gray barked back.

"Those two ruffians are gonna be the death of me, one of these days…" Makarov sighed, sitting on the table at the bar.

"I'm gonna be scared to see what they're like in a few years time." Macao muttered.

"Ain't that the truth." Wakaba agreed.

After a while, the two were interrupted when Erza suddenly came in and shoved the two apart by the heads, cracking their necks while she was at it. "That's enough, you two!" she barked, "What did I say about pointless brawls?"

"It's his fault! He started it!" Gray accused, pointing at the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"No heck way! You were the one who started the fight!" Natsu barked back.

"I don't care!" the young red-head scoffed, "I will not tolerate this roughhousing in the guild, are we clear?"

Natsu and Gray grumbled, but then Cana called out, "Gray, your clothes!" The said Ice mage panicked, realizing he didn't have anything but his boxers.

Suddenly, the door to the guild slammed open, drawing everyone's attention. The silhouette of a young teen boy stood in the sunlight. When he entered, they saw it was a well-built young teen, with red eyes, short blue hair with a white tuft over his head. He wore a blue coat over a black short-sleeved shirt, and thick, brown leather shoulder-guards. He wore black jeans and black combat boots with blue shoelaces. He wore dark blue gloves, a brown belt, and a longsword sheathed on the side of his waist. He also carried a brown knapsack over his shoulder, which he held with one hand.

The guild was quiet as he wandered in, looking about. "So this is a magic guild, huh?" he muttered, looking about.

"Who's this guy?" Gray whispered. "I don't know, but he looks pretty tough." Cana answered. Erza narrowed her eyes, being wary of the newcomer.

He wandered over to where Makarov is, who sat quietly and calmly, looking at the boy with one eye. "Hey, you this place's guild master or something?" the boy asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Makarov answered, "And who might you be?"

The boy placed down his knapsack as he greeted, "Name's Azure. I'm looking for some work. Sign me into this guild, okay?"

"Hmm…" Makarov examined the boy, who only cave a calm glare back, "Well, do your folks know where you are?"

"Does it matter? My dad left me some time ago, so I'm on my own." Azure explained.

"Well, if you want to become a part of this guild, I see no reason not to allow it." Makarov stated, "But I can tell you don't know how to use magic. It might be rough for you."

"So? Do I really need magic to join this guild?" Azure questioned with a tone of warning to him, "Don't underestimate me. I can beat any mage with my sword and my skills." Makarov narrowed his eyes at the boy's statement.

"Guy thinks he's so tough!" Natsu scowled, "Wait till I get my hands on him, and then he'll learn what's what!"

"Natsu, enough." Erza stopped him, "Even if the guy doesn't possess magic, I can feel he might be out of your league."

"What you say?!" Natsu barked, loudly enough to get Azure's attention. He looked to Natsu ready to brawl Erza, only to be held back by the palm of her hand to his forehead, while Gray and Cana merely watched. Azure's eyes flashed wide as he saw Erza. To him, she reminded him of someone he knew very well.

"Hey, did you say you're gonna be part of the guild?" asked a young voice from behind. Azure diverted his gaze from Erza, and turned around to see Lisanna standing there, looking up at him. Reverting to his simple glare, he nodded.

"In that case, welcome to Fairy Tail!" she greeted, "I'm Lisanna. It's nice to meet a new guild member!"

Azure turned away from her as he answered, "Thanks, but I'm not interested in growing friendships. I'm just here to work, and that's all." Lisanna looked sad, hurt by his response.

"Hey! Don't talk that way to my little sister!" Mirajane barked, approaching him. Compared to everyone, she was probably closest to Azure's age.

"You're her older sister?" the blue-haired teen asked.

"Yeah. I'm Mirajane!" she scoffed, "And listen here; I don't like how rude you were to Lisanna. If you wanna be part of this guild, give some respect, will ya?!"

Azure looked at her glaring face, then turned away once more. "I can act however I want. I'll work and gain my ground here as part of your guild. What difference does it make if I show others respect or not?"

He started walking away when Mirajane snapped. "Then I'll make you respect me!" she roared, lunging at him with a fist. Azure turned in time to grab her fist with one hand, skidding back a bit from the strength she delivered.

This was followed by Mirajane unleashing a kick to his abdomen, which he took as well. He grimaced, but held his ground as he took her by the leg, not holding onto each of her limbs. Mirajane was startled as Azure glared harshly, and using the limbs he caught, he threw her over his head, slamming onto her back, breaking the floorboard, causing her to gasp in pain.

The others watching the two fight were startled. Not only was Azure able to take Mirajane's hits easily, but dish out just as strongly.

While Mirajane grimaced from the damage she was delivered, Azure walked over her, and towards the request board. He stopped and looked back at her. "Like I said, what difference does it make if I show respect to others or not?" he asked, and he continued walking on his way

Mirajane got back up, glaring harshly at Azure as she grasped the arm he pulled. Elfman joined her side, while Lisanna looked at her older sister, then at Azure, who went to the request board, examining the missions he could do. ( _Flashback ends_ )

* * *

"Damn. Sounds like one heck of a jerk." Leon stated, hearing about Azure so far.

"Yeah. He didn't want to get close to anyone, so he just continued to do missions. Since he had no magic power, he usually came back with injuries all over him. And yet, he always succeeded in the job requests he did."

"He was a real man, despite his attitude." Elfman followed, "We all tried to have a conversation with him, but he pretty much gave us the cold shoulder. Natsu and Gray would try to fight him to catch his interest but…"

"He beat them easily." Pastry assumed with a sweat-dropped expression. "Like a couple of ragdolls." Elfman responded.

"However, there was always one who never stopped trying to forge a friendship with Azure." Mirajane stated was a gentle smile. Leon looked at her, then understood who she was talking about.

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ It had been a month since Azure joined the guild. He was sitting in the corner of the guild hall, eating some beef and peas, and taking a bite out of a piece of bread. His last job was a little rough, as he had bandages all over him. Still, he didn't care about it, and just continued munching.

"Hey, Azure." said a familiar voice. He didn't even need to look to know it was Lisanna, approaching him for what felt was the fiftieth time.

"Are you doing okay? You looked pretty banged up." Lisanna noticed.

"Yeah? So what?" Azure retorted, "It's my body. You aren't responsible for it."

"Still, I do worry about you." Lisanna told him, causing him to stop eating, "You always go on those dangerous missions when you can't use magic. I can't help but worry."

Azure looked to her, seeing the expression of worry on her face. "Tell me, why the heck do you keep doing this?" he asked, gaining a confused look from Lisanna, "I mean, you go out of your way to greet me. Why? I already told you before that I didn't come to this guild to make friends."

"I know…" she answered, "But even so, I wanna at least try and be friends with you. You seem so lonely, and I just wanna make sure you have someone you can talk to."

Azure looked to her for a moment. She really had been trying to get him to talk to her, at least. It did start off as a complete bother, as he had no interest in speaking to people. However, as time went on, and she continued to do it, he became less ignorant on them. Was it really that important to her to gain a friendship with him?

Lisanna looked a little sad, and turned away. "Well, if you don't wanna talk today, then I'll just go." she muttered, and she started to walk away.

"Show me." Azure spoke up, making her stop and turn to him. "Show me…your magic." he requested, "I don't know what it is you can do. What's your magic?"

Lisanna looked back at him, then gave a big grin as she answered, "Well, I can transform into all different kinds of animals! Watch this!" She produced a magic circle as she chanted, " **Take-Over: Animal Soul!** " Right before his eyes, Azure watched as she transformed into a large-winged, colorful bird.

"Whoa! That is pretty cool." the blue-haired swordsman stated in amazement, "Can you fly?"

"Of course I can!" she answered, flapping her wings and pulling herself into the air.

"That is pretty handy, isn't it?" Azure asked, looking up at her, "Are there any other animals you can turn into?"

"Sure! I can turn into a rabbit, a fish, and even a cat-girl." Lisanna explained, very happy. She was finally striking up a good conversation with Azure. The swordsman started to relax a bit, and even forget to stop the conversation. ( _Flashback ends_ )

* * *

"…Since that moment, Lisanna was able to answer as many questions he asked." Mirajane continued, smiling as she thought about those memories, "Eventually, she was starting to ask questions about him, and he was able to answer…for the most part. He still kept a lot of his life in private, but he was able to open up to Lisanna, and eventually me and Elfman."

"So the four of you became friends, huh?" Pastry asked, "Did he ever start talking to the others?"

"Eventually, when he wanted to learn magic." Mirajane answered, "It was after this one mission he went on…"

* * *

( _Flashback_ ) In the Magnolia Southgate Park, Azure was standing near the tree, concentrating, while the Strauss siblings were watching him try. He was focusing with all he had, trying to transform his arm like Elfman did. Small particles of light were starting to form on his hand, and he was able to feel a tingling sensation from it. However, no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to change his arm. Eventually, he stopped and panted heavily.

"Well, that was a waste of time." Mirajane muttered as the trio approached Azure.

"Ah, don't be like that to him." Lisanna scolded her, turning to Azure, "Still, though, maybe Take Over magic isn't the kind of magic you should do."

"Well, what is my magic?" Azure asked, turning to her, "I was hoping to learn how to Take Over like you guys can. What other kinds of magic would work with me?"

"Um…" Elfman started, getting the other's attention, "I know you're a pretty skilled swordsman, and I've seen you use other weapons as well. Maybe you should try Requip magic?"

"Hey, that could work!" Lisanna agreed, "Requip definitely sounds like your kind of magic."

"Sure, but the only person who knows how to Requip in our guild is…" Azure turned to Mirajane, who folded her arms, frowning. Of course, it had to be her rival who would be the only one to teach him the right magic for him.

"Come on, Mira." Lisanna pleaded, "It's for Azure's sake." After a straining grumble, Mirajane turned to Azure and demanded, "You'd better make sure this is just for training and nothing else, you hear?!"

"Trust me. I'm not gonna join her team." Azure assured her, waving a pair of defending palms. He learned well enough not to piss off Mirajane when it came to people on Erza's team.

Moment's later, they were back in the guild, where Azure found where Erza was, watching as Natsu was playing with the newborn Happy. He approached her, with Lisanna right behind him, while Mirajane and Elfman watched from afar.

"Hey, Erza." Azure greeted, drawing her attention.

"Hey, Azure." the scarlet-haired swordswoman greeted, "This is a surprise. You don't rarely ever approach me like this."

"Well, get ready for something more rare." Azure stated, "See, I need your help teaching me Requip magic."

This request was a bit of a shock to Erza. Never did she think that someone like Azure would ask her to teach magic. She looked behind, and saw Mirajane and Elfman eying her, the initial giving a stern frown.

"Azure had just unlocked his magic potential, but he needs to learn how to use it." Lisanna explained, "Won't you teach him. Please, Erza?"

Erza paused for a second, thinking about it. Then she smiled as she answered, "Of course, I will. I can see that it might fit your skills. But don't expect my training to be easy, you hear?" Azure nodded, ready to take on the challenge. Lisanna looked happy and worried about how hard Erza would train him. ( _Flashback Ends_ )

* * *

"I see…" Leon understood, starting to see the pieces fit. In another case, it was as if a part of his head was starting to defog, like the story Elfman and Mirajane were telling was starting to open up his memories bit by bit.

"He spent every day trying to work on that magic with Erza, training with swordplay as well." Mirajane explained, "Yet, even so, he was able to spend moments of being with the three of us. He even started to open up to other members of the guild like Natsu, Gray, Cana, and many others who came during the two years he spent in the guild."

"He only stayed there for two years?" Pastry asked, "Why did he leave?"

"I don't know." Mirajane answered, shaking her head. One day, he came back to the guild acting a bit weird, and said that he had to go home. It was a sad day…"

* * *

( _Flashback_ ) "But why?! Why do you have to go?!" Lisanna begged. The sun was starting to set as Azure came out with his knapsack on one should, and his other hand pulling a small trolley full of things.

"It's pretty complicated." He answered, turning to her and the group of guild members standing out to see him off. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Cana, Master Makarov, Happy and the Strauss siblings were in the front of the group.

"This is a bit sudden." Gray told him. "I'll say. You can't just leave like this!" Natsu stated, "I haven't even gotten a chance to win a fight against you, yet!"

"That's why you want him to stay?!" Happy asked in a bewildered manner.

"Azure, do you really have to go?" Erza repeated the question.

"I do." he answered, "See, there was a reason for me to be part of the guild other than to get a job. It was to see what this guild was really like, and how strong were you."

"You were testing us?" Mirajane asked, puzzled, "That's why you joined Fairy Tail?"

"It was, at first…" Azure started, "But as time went on, I ended up making so many great friends here. I love this guild, and all the people in it. And it all started with you…" He looked to Lisanna as he said this, "If you hadn't broken me out of my shell at first, I wouldn't have seen just how great it was to be part of a guild. Thanks, Lisanna." The youngest Strauss sibling looked surprised at this gratitude, and even blushed. To her, it wasn't a big deal, but she was glad he said it.

"At least come back and see us again, you hear?!" Natsu demanded.

"Yeah. You really taught me some lessons on how to be a real man." Elfman added, "I'll make sure to be a better person, every day!"

"I'll be holding that to you." Azure answered, turning to Natsu, "And as for you demand, only time will tell when I return. But this is a guild I do love. Someday, I hope to come back again." All of the people of the guild all beamed and hoped to see him, too.

He then looked back at Lisanna again, who was starting to tear up on him. "Hey, don't cry." Azure told her, "You know I hate to see you cry, Lisanna."

"But I…I can't help it…" she sobbed, "It was so nice being friends with you. But mow, you're leaving, and I don't know when I'll see you again!"

Azure looked sadly at her. He then made an expression of resolve as he settled down his knapsack, and knelt to Lisanna's level. "I promise you, I will see you again." he assured her, "But, to be fair, there is one secret that might make our reunion a difficult one…" He pulled his head in closer to Lisanna, and whispered something in her ear. Her expression went from curious to total shock. She pulled herself back from Azure as he looked back with a sad smile.

"You mean…you really…" she started, but Azure raised a finger to her, silencing her.

"You can't tell anyone about that. Not even your sister or brother." he warned her, "I only told you because you are my favorite member of this guild." Lisanna still held that shocked look as he went and picked up his knapsack, and he started rolling away his trolley.

As he left, he could hear the outcries of his guild, calling out their goodbyes to him as he left. He didn't hear Lisanna's voice among them. He kinda expected it, as what he just told her might be a bit of a shock, now that she knew the truth.

"You better keep your promise!" Lisanna called to him, and he stopped, "I will be waiting for you to come back, okay?!"

Azure looked a bit surprised at this for a second, then he formed a grin on his face as he wrapped the strap of his knapsack around his elbow, and raised up the hand gesture of Fairy Tail behind him; his ring finger pointing up with his thumb pointed to one side, like a gun. The members of Fairy Tail replied to this with the same gesture, knowing that they will see him again, one day… ( _Flashback Ends_ )

* * *

"…Well, that's it." Mirajane finished the story, "We never saw Azure after that day. So, did it trigger any memories?"

She looked to Leon, and saw that he was looking down at one of his hands. Slowly, he formed the gesture of Fairy Tail on it, his eyes misting a bit. "And to think…" he started softly, "…to think I forgotten two years of my life like that, until now…"

Elfman, Mirajane and Pastry all looked surprised at this. "Wait, you mean you remember that?!" Pastry asked.

"I do." he answered, looking to the trio, "You're right. I do know Azure Cleaver. He was me, back then."

"I knew it!" Elfman cheered, glad to know he was right.

Mirajane covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes watering a bit. "So…you're really Azure?" she asked.

"Well, the reason it never clicked was because Azure was never my real name." Leon explained, "Leon Daywing is my real name. Azure Cleaver, I think, was just an alias I used before."

"You were using a fake name?" Pastry asked. "But why?" Elfman asked, puzzled.

"That's the question, isn't it?" Leon asked, looking up, "And for the life of me, I don't know. It's a bit foggy here and there, but I do remember my life here in Fairy Tail. They were the funnest of times."

He smiled as he recalled those moments, recalling the challenges he took during that time. Then, his smile faltered as he reminded himself of how much of Lisanna was in those two years. "I may have returned, but that promise was broken." he muttered, "I never got to see Lisanna again. If only…If only I came here sooner, I would've…"

Mirajane reached out and placed a hand on one of his. "It's okay. It's nobodies fault." she assured him, "You lost your memories, so there was no way you would've known about the incident. What matters is that you've returned back to the guild, just like you said."

"I bet the others are gonna be shocked when we learned that Leon's really Azure Cleaver!" Elfman stated, "It'll be super manly to see!"

Leon looked down, wondering. He now had so many questions to ask after learning two years of his life was here at Fairy Tail. If that was the case, where did he come from? Where did he go? Why did he try closing his heart in the first place? Why was he here in this continent, and not in Alakatasia? And with the few things he remembered of his past, he knew that he was part of a Dark Guild, but was this before or after Fairy Tail. There were so many questions that needed answering in his mind, let alone the worries he had of Palva and Dori right now. Though, there was one other question that could be answered.

"Hey, Mirajane?" he started, "Do you know…where Lisanna's grave is at?" Mira looked a bit hesitant, but she knew that he had to know.

* * *

Some time later in the afternoon, at the Cardiac Cathedral, Leon knelt there, looking at the tombstone that Mirajane directed to. Sure enough, it read:

"Lisanna. Beloved sister and a friend to animal souls. X768-X782"

Leon got some flowers, and placed them in front of her grave sight. He stood back up as Pastry floated there. "I came back, Lisanna." he told her, "I just wish you could greet me as well."

For a while, he didn't say anything. Then he recalled what Mirajane said before. According to her, Lisanna wasn't technically buried here. Her body just somehow vanished after she got struck down by Elfman. He wondered where her body really ended up at. Meanwhile, Pastry looked at the gravestone, seeing the years on it. _'Two years, huh?_ ' he thought, _'Same as her. I wonder if that's a complete coincidence, or if there's some sort of misunderstand. I don't know, but I do know a lot of things right now. Things Leon is not prepared to know just yet…_ '

Leon stood back up, and walked away, deciding to go and help out the rebuilding of the guild until Palva and Dori's return. He had started to take a few steps before his head screamed in pain. He clasped it tight as he fell to his knees, and Pastry looked down at him, shocked.

"What's going on?!" the cat demanded. Leon didn't answer, but his eyes were shut, and his ears were ringing. However, as the pain died away, something appeared in his mind. Something that shocked Leon beyond belief.

"No way…" he muttered, "Why…Why was I given this memory? It doesn't make sense!"

"What?! What are you talking about?!" Pastry demanded, "What did you remember?"

Leon looked down at his hands, comprehending what he had just remembered. "It's…something that completely contradicts Mirajane and Elfman's story." he muttered, "They said that Lisanna died when Elfman struck her down. But…" In his thoughts, he could clearly see, standing right behind Lisanna, as she took a slash diagonally across her body, and she fell down to one side. He could also see the attacker; a familiar attacker with cold eyes and scarlet red hair, and a long spear in her hands.

"My memory…says that Lisanna…was struck down by Erza!" he finished, looking shocked at the revelation he had just gained. Pastry was in shock. _'No…of all times, why…'_ he pondered, terrified for Leon, _'Why did he have to learn that now?!'_ He knew the truth about that memory, and it was the thing that led to Leon's memory loss.

* * *

 **So that's another chapter down. I admit, it is one of my shorter ones, and it did not reach 10k, but I do like it. But now you are prepared for the beginning of the 'Rise of Ashes' arc to come. It is late here, and I'm exhausted, so I hope the last bits of this aren't random slurs of some kind in other readers.**

 **What did you think of my twist to Leon once had joined Fairy Tail over six years ago, under the alias of Azure Cleaver? Bet you didn't see that coming. But now you know partially why he reacted to Mirajane and Elfman when meeting them for the first time, and where he learned to Requip. In the next episode, expect a huge blasting flames to come, and with the truth behind Palva's magic being revealed.**

 **Please leave a review, tell your friends, and I'll see you next time!**


	12. Three Day Burn Control! Natsu vs Palva!

Dori decided to take a break from writing, heading to the kitchen of Fairy to make a pot of coffee. As soon as she entered, she saw that the kitchen was already occupied by someone; Levi, reading a book as she stood next to the magic coffee maker.

"Hey, Levi." Dori greeted her. "Hi, Dori." she greeted eagerly, "Are you getting use to your dorm room?"

"Yeah, although I hadn't started on any decorations." Dori explained, "Thought I come and grab some coffee."

"Good timing! I just made some, but I only need one cup." Levi stated, walking over to the cupboards, "I'll get you a cup, too."

"Thanks." Dori replied with a smile, looking about, "This kitchen is pretty big. Do all the girls use it?"

"Pretty much." Levi answered, taking out the cream for the coffee, "Oh, how do you like your cup?" Dori turned, seeing the cream in her hands, and understood the question. "Light amount of cream, no sugar."

"So, were you getting into the diary I placed in your room?" Levi asked as she prepared hers and Dori's coffee.

"It's pretty much the only thing I've been doing this whole time." the crystal mage answered, leaning against the counter, "So far, I've written quite a bit. I'm not use to writing in diaries, and my handwriting could be a bit better, but it does seem to be a bit relieving. Course, I'm only just starting at the point a week after my sis was arrested."

Levi smile faltered a bit as she turned to Dori with her cup of coffee. "Well, I'm sure you'll feel better after you finish writing your feelings down on it." Dori nodded in agreement, taking her cup and thanking Levi for it, before departing the kitchen.

She walked back into her dorm room, taking a few sips along the way back, before placing the cup down, and pulling out the pen to write in her diary. "Now, let's see here… Where should I start?" she muttered, tapping the pen to the paper, "Maybe…after that week at the Magic Council?" She thought back on that, and begun writing about it.

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ In the Magic Council Headquarter's courtroom, the eight magic council members were glaring down at Dori and Makarov, most of them with anger. However, it wasn't due to anything that they had said, but more of what one of them were doing. Dori was fine, but she was glaring down at the master, who was dead asleep where he stood.

"Um…Master Makarov…" one of the amphibian-like council employees called to the guild master.

Dori, frustrated that he was sleeping, raised a fist and hammered it hard on top of his head, sneering, "Be serious, will you?! You're suppose to help save my sis, not taking a nap!"

"Taking a nap?! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Makarov stated, trying to laugh it off. However, Dori's glare made him shut up, and he muttered, "It's not my fault these council sessions are so boring…"

"Enough!" Gran Dorma, the head of the magic council barked, "The council will not stand for your lack of interest in what is clearly a serious situation here!"

"I apologize on his behalf." Dori apologized, "We'll make sure to keep our eyes and minds open in this situation, right?!" She emphasized the last word as she glared at Makarov, who innocently chuckled a bit, before clearing his throat to get serious.

Org, the owner of the 2nd seat of the council, looked to Siegrain and asked, "Might I ask why Ultear has not returned in this entire week, Siegrain? Surely, you know of where she is, don't you?"

"I can be sure that she will return eventually." the blue-haired member of the council answered, "She has other businesses to tend to." Course, in his mind, he knew why she wasn't really with them. Dori Himeka would immediately recognize her from Galuna Island, and that would put his plans into trouble.

"In any case, can we continue with what we were saying, please?" Dori asked, "I want to make sure my sister is freed from captivity as soon as possible."

Belno, the second female member of the court, apart from Ultear, cleared her throat as she stated, "Well, based on your testimonies, eye witnesses, and the tests we placed Palva through…" Dori frowned, recalling how some of those experiments were a bit cruel, despite her watching them. "…We can deduce that your words about Palva are correct."

"From what we can see, her magic power is on a completely different scale compared to most others." said Yajima, an elderly man who was about as tall as Makarov, "But there seems to be more to her magic than meets the eyes."

"From what we gathered, her magic's instability is something we cannot understand." Gran Dorma followed, "She can control it to a certain level without her weapon, the Dragonic Fang. However, she cannot contain the magic without it. What's more, her emotional state also becomes berserk after a certain period of time, although it quickens when she is in a state of stress or anger, as you have explained to us. And the most peculiar part of this whole thing is that not even magic-restraining handcuffs are able to nullify the magic fully, when in all cases, it should. Meaning there is something more to her magic than we realize."

The head of the council looked down at Dori, who didn't waver her gaze from him at all. "Tell me, is there anything you are withholding from us other than what we know?"

"There isn't." Dori answered, "I have told you all that I have said."

"From everything that was gathered, we can all agree that the charges based on the wanted poster's accusations might be false."

"Might be?!" Dori echoed, slamming her hands onto the podium, "Everything those wanted posters accuse her for are based out of accidental causes or self-defense! She's not truly guilty at all!"

"Nevertheless, the crimes placed on her bounty cannot be removed unless she's proven innocent for them by the Magic Council." Org explained, "And even though we have ascertained the reason as to why her magic is unstable, we have no way of proving her innocence against her crimes."

Makarov looked to Dori, who clenched her fists at this fact. "I have studied so much about her magic." she told them, "I've researched all kinds of books on fire magic, sealing magic, even curses. I've searched all over the Western Continent for answers, but I couldn't find anything! Unless you have the wisdom to know something I don't, then I'm all ears!"

The Magic Council members looked to one another, some muttering their solutions to her statement. Finally, Siegrain spoke up, "I would like to ask you one thing, though; Why did you decide to come to this continent instead of any other?"

"We came here because of Salamander, Natsu Dragneel." Dori answered, "As far as I know, he is the only one who possesses the same Fire Dragon Slayer magic as my sister. As such, he may be the only person who knows how to save my sister from her cause."

"You can't be serious?" "That destructive mage?!" Most of the Council members made their accusations of disbelief that he could possibly help her. From what Dori learned, Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail had a bad habit of destroying buildings and even whole towns when doing requests. Only Yajima and Siegrain had nothing to say about them.

"How can we be sure that he will not make things worse than they already are?!" Michello demanded.

"Because Natsu Dragneel is the only one left I can turn to." Dori answered simply, "And I know, without a doubt, that he can save my sister."

The defiance in her tone was enough to stir the entire court. She had placed her whole trust into Natsu, the Salamander who's tendency to destroy things were high. If they were allow to let Palva and Natsu work together like this, it would cause massive destruction beyond compare. The fact was that they were too scared of Palva and Natsu's magic together. And yet after everything Dori had just said, it seemed like there was no other way of curing her of her uncontrollable magic other than through Salamander.

"We must discuss this among ourselves." Gran Dorma told Dori and Makarov, and the eight Council members huddled together to discuss the matter.

"I must say, Dori, that you are one of the few people I know who will approach the Magic Council as strongly as you." Makarov pointed out, "You never back down, no matter what they say."

"This is my sister we're talking about." Dori retorted, not wavering her gaze from the Council, "If I didn't defend my sister with everything I had, then she would be dead, right now. Surely, you know what it means to defend your family, right?"

"Absolutely." Makarov agreed, "I treat every member of my guild like they were my own children. I will be right next to you, helping Palva be freed from her chains." Dori smiled and nodded in approval for his assistance.

Unbeknownst to them, there was one member of the council who was eyes them during this time. Siegrain couldn't help but be interested in Dori and her sister. After all, this is the girl who defeated José, one of the ten mage saints, despite being sixteen years old. If she was this powerful, then how strong was her sister? Was she just as strong as Natsu, or stronger? Nevertheless, he was intrigued.

After some time, the council finished their discussion, and turned to the two Fairy Tail mages. "After some consideration, we have decided to allow you to have Salamander work with Palva Himeka, to see if he can find the solution to her magic instability."

Dori seemed pleased at this, until Gran Dorma added, "But taking into consideration the dangers of her magic, and the destructive habits of Salamander, not to mention the rest of the Fairy Tail guild…" Dori looked Makarov, who had a sheepish expression from this note, "…We must add a few additional ground rules before you are allowed to have you do this 'experiment'."

"I'm listening." Dori told them, in a tone that suggested she might not agree to the terms they would give.

"Firstly, you must have an open area, far from any village or town, so as to not allow any damage to the people or property." Gran Dorma started, "Secondly, you are only allowed three days to find the solution to her magic."

"Wha- Three days?!" Dori demanded, "That's way too short! Can't you give us a week instead?!"

"We have considered many things in our choice, such as the volatile state of her magic, the intensive research you claimed to have done during the past decade, and the destructive powers of Dragon Slayer Magic, not to mention the worry of bounty hunters or even the Western Continent making moves to claim her. Given all of this, we cannot give you any more time than three days in order to give us results." Dori seemed furious that the Magic Council was more afraid of this than the safety of her sister. They were plenty more cowardly than the empire back home.

"Finally, we will have the projections of one of our Council members observe your progress." Gran Dorma finally added, "We wanna make sure that you don't try anything beyond our laws or cause any more problems for us. We will also have an army of Rune Knights at the ready should you try to escape us."

Dori looked down, thinking on all of this. The terms they gave were strict. Their first rule was something she could understand and tolerate. The time limit to get the job done was blasphemy, but she couldn't counteract it considering what they were factoring. The third was similar to the first; a safety protocol, and one she prayed was fair to her and her sister. Besides, she was done running away from the law. If she needed to save her sister from her, she had better give it her all to save her, and danger might as well be the adrenaline to do it.

"Fine then. I accept your terms." Dori decided, "But I would like to know the proper location and who will be observing us." Gran Dorma looked back at Dori, then to Siegrain, who continued to look down at Dori with an intrigued look.

* * *

Later on, Dori and Makarov stood in the hallway of the Magic Council building, with Dori having one of her communication lacrima, talking to Leon, who gathered with Pastry and the rest of Team Natsu at the guild hall under construction. They were waiting for Palva to be returned to them, so Dori filled in her comrades of what transpired.

"You're kidding me?! Only three day?!" Pastry demanded, hearing the time limit.

"Well, at least it's better than straight up killing her or a life sentence." Leon pointed out.

"Yeah, but that barely gives us any time to help Palva find a cure." Lucy muttered in worry, "If Natsu doesn't figure out how to help her control her magic without that lance, then it's all over for her."

"Then it's a good thing I promised to help her, and I intend to keep it!" the Fire Dragon Slayer stated, punching a fist into his hand, "She's a good kid, and a member of Fairy Tail. No way am I gonna let her or any of you guys down!"

"So who's this examiner from the Magic Council, Gramps?" Gray asked suspiciously.

"They decided on having Siegrain watching us." Makarov answered.

"Siegrain?!" Erza gasped, shocked at the choice, "But why would he…"

"He was actually eager to take that position." Dori explained, looking to Erza's reaction, "Is he someone we should worry about, Erza?"

"N-No…" Erza answered, giving a slight glare as she followed, "He's just…someone we shouldn't put our full trust into. He is one of the Ten Mage Saints, as well as someone who has supported Fairy Tail. Even so… If he is interested in Palva, he must have his reason behind it." Based on her warning, Dori could feel that she had some sort of personal reason behind her cautious behavior towards Siegrain.

Just then, Makarov and Dori heard some footsteps coming down the hallway, and they turned to see Yajima and a worried Palva walking with him, her wrists in handcuffs, and her lance held in both hands. She looked up to see her sister waiting for her. "Sis!" she cried, rushing over to her. Dori dropped the communication lacrima, causing it to shut off and for Makarov to fumble to catch it, and wrapped her arms around her sister.

"It's gonna be okay, Palva. Your sister's got your back." Dori reassured her.

"I…I heard everything from Yajima about what you did." Palva sobbed, "I know you did your best, but can we really figure out a way for me to be free from this curse in only three days?"

"We have to." her sister answered, pulling her back and kneeling down to her level, "I promise you that Natsu and I will do everything we can to make sure you won't be locked up again."

"I thank you for guiding her here, Yaj." Makarov thanked the Magic Council member.

"It wasn't a bother, Maki." Yajima answered, looking to Palva and Dori, "Truth be told, I can tell that the child is merely a victim of her own magic. If it were my choice, I would give her all the support I could give to help cure her of her condition. However, the Magic Council is not so easily swayed."

"Still, I was glad you were able to help support us with Phantom Lord's assault." Makarov stated, "The guild is to be disbanded, and José is to be stripped of his rank as one of the ten mage saints. Pretty much what I expected. But to think you swayed the rest of the council for making Fairy Tail innocent."

"Considering the facts and eye-witnesses, I was only partially involved with proving your guild not guilty. Still, I glad you appreciate the support I gave." Yajima stated, "But now you have another difficult challenge ahead of you; proving Palva's innocence and relieving her of her curse." Makarov frowned in agreement.

"I take it you two are close to one another?" Dori asked as she and Palva approached them.

"I was once a member of Fairy Tail back in the old day." Yajima answered, "Me, Makarov, Porlyusica and Rob were quite a group of reckless fools back then. But we lived every day to the fullest."

"We sure did." Makarov agreed, looking down solemnly, "Fairy Tail was a great place to be until Rob left us." The Himeka sisters looked to one another. They knew Porlyusica based on what Leon told them. However, they heard nothing about Rob before now.

"What happened to him?" Palva asked, hesitantly.

Makarov looked to her, then to Dori. For a moment, he didn't answer. Then he answered, "We're not too sure. Erza knew him in his later years, and he gave his life to protect her." The sisters looked startled at this, and felt guilty for asking. Still, they didn't expect the connection between him and Erza to pop up.

"I'm sorry…" Palva apologized.

"Do not fret, my child. Rob may have passed on, but his will still lives on in Fairy Tail." Yajima assured her, "Still, you should prepare yourself for the next three days. It will test your resolve on staying alive. I'll keep an eye on the situation from a distance, supporting you all the way."

"Thank you, Mr. Yajima." Dori thanked him, bowing down to him, "We'll need all the support we can get right now. I just hope three days is enough." The Himeka sisters both looked worried at these last words. Was it really gonna be enough? ( _Flashback ends)_

* * *

Dori had just finished the last of her coffee before continuing to write, _"Palva was gonna be escorted to the place where we were to start her training tomorrow; the Fiore Badlands, located east of Mt. Hakobe, and north of the East Forest. The rocky terrain and lack of greenery or nurturing soil made it rather inhospitable for any towns or villages to settle at. The occasional nomads would pass by, but otherwise, it was deserted. The perfect place for destructive practice."_

 _"Master Makarov and I went back to explain the situation to the guild. Natsu eagerly stepped forward, declaring his vow to save Palva. Happy also stated he would come to cheer them all the way."_

 _"Leon and Pastry also stated that they would come and observe, hoping to help out any way they could. Considering they were with me and my sister all this time, I did kinda expected this."_

 _"The one person I didn't expect to join us was Erza. She decided to help out in order to make sure Palva stayed safe, but I bet it was more due to keeping an eye on Siegrain. He did seem rather suspicious, so I wasn't one to complain. Still, what was her connection with that guy?"_

 _"Anyways, we arrived at the Badlands the next day, going to where we were told was the base camp…"_

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ "According to the map, the campsite should be nearby." Dori explained, holding the map as she led Natsu, Erza, Leon, Happy and Pastry through a ravine.

"Remind me again why they sent Palva and I all the way out here in the first place?" Natsu questioned in a nonchalant manner.

"It's because of the destructiveness of your guys' magic, Natsu." Leon pointed out, "From the stories I've heard about you, it seems like you've managed to destroy all manner of buildings, towns, and even a mountain or two. And most of the time it's by accident."

"Aye! We're the strongest there is!" Happy declared eagerly. "Not exactly something to be proud of." Pastry noted with a sweat-dropped expression.

"It's a shame Gray and Lucy didn't come along this time." Leon continued, "It feels weird not having our two teams together."

"True, but the two ended up going on a mission to stopping some bandits." Erza responded, "Considering we weren't with them, I requested the members to team Shadowgear to go join them. Hopefully they'll do a good job together."

* * *

 **Elsewhere, in Fort Term…**

While Juvia was secretly watching from the outside, Lucy and Taurus were cleaning up the bandits that were inside. "That was great! Just look at you go!" Lucy cheered, giving a lovesick Taurus a high-five.

"Moo! You got some moves of your own!" Taurus replied, seeing Lucy's chest move from jumping up reach Taurus's hand.

"Just who do these guys steal from? Old ladies and kids?" Gray asked, shoving one of the bandits' heads down with his foot.

"They don't seem to put up much of a fight." Levy pointed out, using her Solid Script magic to slam the word 'Stone' onto a bunch of bandits, putting them under rubble.

"Hey, Levy! We just took care of six bandits down below!" Jet called out as he and Troy joined up with them on the upper floor.

"That all? We took about thirty of them up here." Gray pointed out, getting distraught looks from them, "What the heck were you doing down there? Fooling around?"

"But…we were fighting as hard as we could…" the two men moaned in despair, causing Levy to look sympathetic towards them.

"At least they've proven just how strong they were." Lucy muttered, with Taurus flexing his muscles to display his strength. She looked to him, seeing what he was trying to prove, and sent him back through the gate again, sighing in relief.

* * *

 **Back with Dori and Natsu's team** …

"…I'm sure they're fine." Leon assured them, "Gray's strong, and Lucy can hold her own."

"Yeah, they're probably helping Jet and Troy out as hard as they can." Happy smugly added.

"Yeah? I don't remember them being that hopeless." Pastry pointed out, then thinking, _'Although they might not be the same as I remember.'_

The team finally made it to where the campsite was. There was a wide open part within the ravine, where about a six or seven Rune Knights have gathered around a set of white tents. Palva and Siegrain were with them, with Siegrain speaking to Palva about a few things.

Palva turned to see her friends, and smiled in a relieved manner as she raced over to them, with the blue-haired Council member watch them come, specifically Erza, who stopped and glared at him suspiciously.

"I'm so glad to see you here, Natsu!" Palva stated eagerly, stopping herself in front of him, "Let's get started right away!"

"Sure thing, Palva!" Natsu answered, giving her a thumbs up.

"Just a moment." Siegrain stopped them, approaching the group, "Before we begin, I want to make sure that all of you know the ground rules we, the Magic Council made. For example, we made sure that Rune Knights are not only watching you here, but that there are some stationed around the ravine and at both ends. Any attempt of leaving cannot be allowed unless approved by me."

"And you're sure you'll treat us fair?" Erza asked, approaching him with a cautious glare.

"Of course. I wouldn't dare imprison all of you here." Siegrain answered with a sly grin, closing his eyes, "This is mainly for your warning that Palva is not allowed outside this ravine at any time. Also, any attempts of hostility towards the Rune Knights will be returned with force." He opened them, looking at Palva, "This is all a precautionary measure while you are training with Natsu Dragneel. We can't have you leaving freely when you aren't cured of your curse."

"Trust me, pal! Palva will walk out of here a free girl!" Natsu declared angrily, "And when she does, you guys better be sorry for locking her up in the first place!"

"Natsu…" Palva muttered, looking up at him. In truth, being imprisoned inside the Magic Council cells wasn't hard, but it did give her claustrophobia after a while. She hated being stuck in there, not sure of what would happen the next day, the next hour, the next minute. When they took her out, it was only to do tests on her to see the proof behind her condition. Some of the tests were mainly her using her magic power and demonstrating her control. Others…well, they had some painful results.

"In that case, I'll leave everything else to you, Dragneel." Siegrain stated, turning and walking away, "I am merely here as an observer."

As he left, Pastry looked to Leon, and saw the surprised look on his face. "What is it?" he asked, getting his attention.

"Nothing. It's just…" Leon answered, looking at Leon as he left, "I can't help but feel like I've seen him before. And for some reason…I feel relieved to see him."

Dori and the others looked to him, surprised. "Are you sure?" Erza asked, confused.

"Maybe he is linked to your past." Dori figured. "Maybe…" Leon answered absentmindedly.

"Well, whatever." Natsu shrugged it off, "Come on, Palva. Let's get to some training!"

"You got it!" Palva answered, and the two rushed off, leaving the rest of the crew watching.

"You can do it, Natsu!" Happy cheered. "I just hope Natsu's the key to solving this mystery." Dori added, her hands folded in prayer, "Please, Natsu. You're my only hope."

"Okay, Palva. Let's see how well you control your flames." Natsu started, turning to her and holding out a fist, igniting it in flames.

"Oh, right." Palva answered, holding her lance in one hand. She raised a fist, and ignited it into flames.

"Great! I guess that's a start!" Natsu stated with a grin.

"Thing is, I don't really use my fists at all in battle." Palva pointed out, getting a "Say what?!" from Natsu, "If I use my hands for anything, it's to channel flames into my lance, using it to unleash my attacks."

"I didn't realize you could do that!" Natsu pointed out, amazed.

"You didn't think I lived my life in fear of my uncontrollable flames, and not try to learn every way of controlling them?" Palva asked, "Thing is, when it comes to flame control with my lance, it's pretty darn easy. I can even control the flames of other with my skills."

"Huh… You mean like that fire guy we fought in Phantom Lord?" Natsu asked, recalling his appearance, "What was the guy's name? Tot Mar or something?"

"Totomaru, and yes." Palva corrected, "Although, to be frank, if I had used the full might of my flame control, I could easily trump his skill."

"Hey, that's pretty cool!" Natsu stated happily, "You should teach me how to control my flames better!"

"You're the one who's suppose to do that with me, right now!" Palva barked angrily, "Did you forget why we're set up here in the first place?!"

"Oh, right." Natsu chuckled, "Well then, let's get started!" Palva sighed at his ignorance at the situation for the moment, but nodded in understanding. _(Flashback Ends)_

* * *

 _"For the rest of the day, Palva demonstrated her skills in controlling her flames with her lance on-hand. It was even impressing Natsu, who did his best to teach her some of his ways he was taught by Igneel. However, when she wasn't holding onto the lance, she would start combusting within the next few seconds, and she couldn't contain them inside her body. Natsu was definitely confused as to why this was happening, and continued to try and help her until night fell, when they were both exhausted from using their magic and stamina."_

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ Natsu and Palva were out like a pair of logs, flat on their backs in the middle of the large field, which had been charred in certain places from their practicing.

"Didn't seem like Natsu was able to do anything to help Palva out so far." Dori muttered, worried.

"And they wore themselves out from training so hard." Happy added, also worried.

"It's still the first day. I wouldn't be too worried about it." Erza assured, patting her shoulder, "Still, we only have two more days for Natsu to help Palva out. He may act hotheaded, but when push comes to shove, his mind works at incredible speeds."

"I've seen that first-hand." Dori noted, reminding herself of the battles they had been a part of, "I know he has yet to show his true strength to me. I know, one of these days, he will show me that power and wit he had deep within him." Erza nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Leon was watching the amphibious council member finish writing down the results of today's training on paper for records to the Magic Council. He concentrated, making sure everything they said was true and complete.

"There's no need to keep watching." said Siegrain, approaching Leon from behind, "I promise you, we won't forge any lies nor leave any details unannounced."

"You can't be too careful. Authoritative figures like yourselves can sometimes bend the truth to your own benefit." Leon pointed out, looking to his fellow blue-haired man, "Since Palva, Dori and I have been fighting against the Empire's soldiers for quite some time, you can forgive me if I don't fully trust you guys until we're certain you are just and true."

"Fair point." Siegrain understood, looking towards where the two Dragon Slayers are at, "Although, I can tell you I did honestly want to be the viewer of this due to my interests in both Palva and Natsu Dragneel. The fact that two Dragon Slayers wielding the same element of magic is unprecedented, and yet their two magics are different from one another. One possesses hidden potential that is waiting to be unleashed, while the other can't control what she already has."

"It's almost like the two need to gain what the other lacks, right?" Leon asked, leaning against the post of the tent and folding his arms in front of him, "I guess when you put it that way, it makes Natsu an even more important asset to helping Palva out." Siegrain smirked at his statement, but didn't say anything in response.

Leon looked at the Council member once more, focusing on him enough to get his attention. "Is there something else that's bothering you?" Siegrain asked.

"A few things." Leon answered, "However, I gotta ask…have we met before?"

Siegrain looked to him curiously, wondering. Finally, he answered, "Sorry. We have not met at all. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing." Leon answered, turning away, "Just gotta a sense of deja vu since I saw you. I get this feeling of…content, ever since I saw you."

"Content?" Siegrain asked, now more curious.

"Yeah. Don't ask me why." Leon answered, walking away, "After all, I'm still trying to figure out who the heck I was long ago." Siegrain raised an eyebrow. He didn't believe that this guy was as important as the Himeka sisters, and yet he was intrigued. He didn't know his past, and yet he felt like he and him have met. But that was impossible. After all…

"I got it!" Palva shouted, suddenly awake from out of nowhere, startling most of the people around him, except for Natsu, who was snoring loudly.

"Palva, what is it?!" Dori asked, surprised at her sudden awake state.

"I have an idea on how to get my flames under control!" the female Dragon Slayer announced, rising to her feet, "I remember that Totomaru guy using Blue Flames, which were cold, so they wouldn't burn. I remember reading about different kinds of flames that can be controlled and even not burn stuff like my flames do." she turned specifically to Erza as she asked, "Does anyone have that kind of control over their flames like that besides Totomaru?"

"Well, apart from Natsu… There is Macao Conbolt. He uses Purple Flare magic." Erza recalled, "And he is able to control flames quite well, and from what I know, he can even perform tricks like picking up objects and binding people with his flames without burning them."

"It is a simpler magic than Dragon Slayer magic, but it is worth a shot." Dori responded, "Let's call him here tomorrow morning."

"It's night?" Palva asked, looking up, "Jeez, I didn't know!" And with that, she plopped back onto the ground, and started falling asleep again, much to the teams bemusement.

"She is more like Natsu than anything." Erza muttered. "I begin to wonder if it's just a Dragon Slayer trait?" Dori questioned, getting an 'aye' in agreement from Happy.

* * *

The next day, Erza and Leon went and came back with Macao from Fairy Tail. Romeo was also brought along, requested by the child himself, wanting to support Palva since she was the youngest mage of Fairy Tail, apart from the cats. The Dragon Slayers explained to Macao what Palva's idea was about dealing with her magic.

"Well, Macao? Do you think you can help her out?" Natsu asked.

"It is possible." Macao answered, turning to Palva, "I can teach you some tricks to making your flames not burn stuff. Here, let me show you…" With his fingertip, Macao summoned a stream of purple flames out, which swerved and slithered across the air like a snake, heading towards a rock the size of a beach ball. It coiled itself around the rock, and lifted it off the ground, carrying itself to Palva, where she caught it in her hands. The areas where the flames held the rock were warm, but not enough to burn something badly.

"See that? That's how you use Purple Flare magic." Macao stated with a grin.

"Think you can pull something like that off, Palva?" Natsu asked the younger pink-haired girl.

"I have to try. If I can't control them at the moment, I can at least control them enough to prevent burning stuff." Palva stated, looking at the rock, "I have to do this. I have to…"

For the next few hours, Macao instructed Palva how to go through with the plan. Her Dragon Slayer magic was powerful, and she had excellent control with it while holding the lance, but the temperature was something she needed help with. It was difficult to accomplish, and Natsu's attempt to do the same thing were…less than successful. Nevertheless, Palva was determined, and placed all her self into trying to attempt and move rocks without burning them too badly.

Natsu was panting, and went back to a fireplace that was built by Dori so that he could replenish his magic, with Leon, Erza and Dori standing right next to him. The two cats were with Romeo, making sure they would keep an eye on him. The former group watched as Palva surrounded a rock in a stream of flames, picking it up, and bringing it towards her. They could see a slight singing around the rock, indicating she had failed once again.

"She's really trying hard, isn't she?" Leon asked. "She at least reached the stage of bringing it to her instead of breaking the rock altogether." Dori noted.

"I don't get it. How come Palva doesn't seem to be losing her magic as quickly as me?" Natsu asked, chewing on fire from a piece of wood like it was cotton candy.

"It's not that she's losing as much. It's that she's recovering her magic much quicker than you." Dori corrected, "In fact, I'd say she recovers her magic faster than any person I know, and it's all thanks to the Dragonic Fang."

"Huh?" Natsu questioned. "Isn't that lance just a way to suppress her magic?" Erza questioned Dori.

"Yeah, but it's more than that." Dori answered, turning to see Palva trying another go in getting a rock, "I haven't studied it enough because she is required to hold onto it at all times, but from what I can gather, the Dragonic Fang not only restrains her magic, but she recovers her magic energy at a speed much quicker than any normal mage."

"Seriously?" Natsu questioned in amazement. "I've never even heard of such a weapon before." Erza noted.

"Neither have I when I first met them." Leon added, "As far as I know, there is no other magical weapon like it. It is unique, and it is powerful." Erza and Natsu were both amazed at this new info, but looked at the sound of Palva crying out in frustration after leaving another burnt ring around the rock she was carrying.

"This is so hard!" Palva barked, "How can I bring that rock over without burning it?!"

"You just don't know how to make your flames not burn." Macao told her, "Remember, in order to bring that rock over without burning it, you must change the properties of your flames. Make it so you won't burn when you touch them."

Palva calmed herself down after her rant, and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll try!" she declared. She thrust a palm out, and a stream of flames came out of it. It went to another rock the same size as the ones she had been getting, carefully wrapping the flames like a snake coiling itself around a large egg.

"That's it. Now remember to change the property of your fire." Macao reminded. Palva breathed heavily, concentrating as she mentally changed her flames, concentrating on them becoming less hot. All she wanted to do was bring in the rock without burning it. Slowly, she picked up the piece of rock with her flames, reeling it in like a tow-cable. She was sweating, but held firm to her concentration as she pulled it in inches away from her, and she dropped it onto the ground next to the remains of her failed attempts. She recoiled the fire, and looked at the rock. Although it had a couple burnt spots, most of the parts her flame touched weren't singed.

"There you go!" Macao cheered. "Well, I did burn it in a couple places, but it was at least much better than the others." Palva noted, "I got the feeling down, I just need to do it a few more times before I got it absolutely right!"

"Looks like she's making progress now!" Pastry pointed out eagerly.

"Yeah! It's all thanks to my father helping her out!" Romeo cheered, "I'm so proud of him!"

"He may not got anything against Natsu's powerful flames, but he's definitely helping Palva!" Happy added.

For the time afterwards, Palva was able to start bringing rocks over without burning them badly. In fact, they progressed to doing things like holding up a rock for a minute, wind her flames around pillars, and even pick up other items and even people and bring them closer to her. They kept this up until they noticed that the sun was starting to fall on them.

"I gotta say, you're a real natural for this." Macao stated as Palva tried another technique with her stream of flames, which she dubbed 'Fire Dragon's Whip', to reel herself on top of a pillar, "I never imagined you could master that magic so easily."

"After all the training I've done to try mastering the control over my flames before, I pretty much became quickly adaptive in learning new skills with my flames." Palva stated, climbing up the pillar while using the whip of flames like a grappling hook.

"Oh, man! How come I can't do that?!" barked Natsu's voice, and the two Fire mages looked to see him trying to do the same Fire Dragon's Whip as Palva, only his flames pretty much burnt the area his flames bound around, causing it to crumble.

"You do know you can just climb up there without that trick?" Dori muttered with a quizzical look, "Seriously, your physically stronger than my sister. She just has better control over her fire than you."

Palva reached the top of the pillar, diminishing her flames as she reached the top. "I wonder…now that I have control over the power of my fire's temperature, I should try doing them without my lance."

She threw down her lance towards the bottom of the pillar, near where Macao was at. The sight of this drew everyone's attention, including Siegrain. Was she really gonna try again?

Concentrating, Palva closed her eyes as she felt the flames starting to unleash outside her body. She mentally focused on her flames, manipulating the temperature as they started to emanate all around her. Happy and Pastry took to the sky, watching her and where she was standing. All around her, the fire was blazing harder and harder, but the ground was, for a moment, unburnt.

"So far so good." Pastry said with a grin. "She's not burning it!" Happy cried out, getting pleasing looks from some of the people. Natsu smirked as well at this, but then, he felt something. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew something was gonna go wrong.

Suddenly, Palva's body bursted with an intense flame, and her eyes snapped open as the pillar below her broke apart and crumble, causing her to fall. Palva suddenly roared in rage as she felt the flames consuming her. The crumbling pillar around her not only get scorched, but even melt, causing Macao to run for his life before being hit by the molten rock.

"What happened?!" Romeo questioned in shock. "Her flames are out of control!" Erza gasped.

"Natsu, get Palva her lance back!" Dori shouted, terrified at the condition of her sister.

"I'm on it!" Natsu barked back, already racing towards her as she fell. He dodged the molten rock as it hit the ground, now in a liquidized form. Her lance was almost met with similar molten rock had Natsu not grabbed it, burning his shoulder in the process. Wincing, he turned as Palva looked down as she fell, and Natsu clearly saw the rage emanating from her eyes. Shocked for a moment, he shook it off, and threw the lance at her in a spin. She wasn't able to catch it in her blind rage, but the lance's grip hit her in the elbow, giving her physical contact. Her eyes suddenly died in rage, and the flames around her died down. She went limp as she fell, but Natsu caught her, pulling her out of the way of the remaining molten rock. He skid to a halt, looking down at Palva, who laid across her lance, breathing heavily.

"Natsu!" Dori cried as the Fairy Tail crew rushed to them. Siegrain sat in his chair, narrowing his eyes at the sight he had just witnessed. Others around him were more petrified than anything.

"We're okay." Natsu assured them, hearing Palva moan as she was coming around. Natsu looked to see her raise her head, realizing where she was at.

"What…happened?" she muttered, feeling the discomfort for laying on her lance.

"That's what we want to know." Leon answered, concerned for her condition. "One moment, you were doing fine. The next, you literally exploded."

"Do you have any idea what had happened?" Erza asked Natsu as she settled Palva down.

"Not sure. But I did feel something was off before she went into a rage." he answered, "I don't know what the hell it was, but it wasn't normal…" He looked down at Palva, who had noticed what she had done. The area where the pillar stood was now melted away from the molten rock, leaving nothing but a black mass of charred rock on the ground.

"But why?" a petrified Palva questioned, stepping back from everyone, "I was so sure I had it. Why was it worse that before?" She stumbled and fell on her butt, unable to comprehend what she had done, only knowing it was even worse than before. All the others could do was look at her, worried about her state.

* * *

Late that night, everyone was awake, too concerned about Palva to fall asleep. Macao and Romeo left to go back to the guild, the former having already done everything he could to help Palva. Erza and Dori were with Siegrain right now, summing up based on each party what had happened.

"It seems like that the manipulation of the temperature of her flames didn't help in the slightest." Siegrain summed up, "In fact, it as if the more she tried to prevent the flames from burning, the more they fought back, causing the explosion that we saw."

"I never saw her take such a radical change to the temperature of her flames and her emotions like that before." Dori muttered, "I can't understand what caused this. It's a new piece of evidence, but it just makes things more confusing."

"I don't suppose you have any ideas you are hiding from us to answer why she is like this?" Erza questioned Siegrain with a stern tone.

Siegrain merely smirked as he answered, "I wouldn't hold anything behind you that would ruin the lives of your guild, Erza. However, there is one idea that does come to mind. There is a possible chance a second party is manipulating her flames on the inside."

"Are you saying something inside her is causing this?" Erza questioned in surprise.

"That's impossible." Dori retorted, "I was with her when she was born, and her magic was like this from the very beginning. In fact, it caused internal damage to my mother the moment her magic came into being. It didn't kill her, but it did cripple her until she died from that accident."

"Accident?" Erza asked, "You mean when Palva accidentally killed your parents?" She was told of this by the others who heard it from Dori and Palva.

"Not just them. The entire village we grew up." Dori answered, "She was only two years old when it happened. My father sacrificed himself to save her from herself. He made me promise to not be angry at my sister for that, but to protect her at all cost. It didn't stop my hatred for her for a while, but overtime, I realized she was not to blame. She was just as much of a victim to it all as I was. I can't blame her for that."

"I do sympathize for Palva Himeka's situation." Siegrain stated, getting a disbelieving look from both Erza and Dori, "As much as I would like to help her even further, I cannot sway the Magic Council to give her more time. If the solution to helping her control her magic isn't solved by tomorrow night, then it's all over. She will either be turned to the Alvarez Empire, or at the worst, be executed."

The two red-headed mages were fully aware of the consequences, but that didn't stop the pain of the truth. They were running out of time, fast. And what's worse, they were even further from helping Palva than before.

Meanwhile, Palva was sitting on the ridge of the canyon, her legs dangling over, and her lance in her lap. She was spacing out, recalling the incident that had happened that afternoon.

"You doin' okay, Palva?" said a voice. Natsu had just flown up with Happy carrying him.

"We came to check to see if you were okay!" Happy told her with a chipper voice.

"Hey, guys." Palva muttered half-heartedly, as the two landed on the ridge next to her, "Sorry. I just…needed some time alone."

Natsu sat down next to Palva, with Happy sitting right next to him on the far side of Palva. "Man, I thought Macao would've surely helped you out at least a little bit better." Natsu sighed, "Guess we'll have to train extra hard tomorrow to find out what's causin' your flames to go crazy."

Before he finished his statement, he heard stifled sobs from Palva. Turning to her, he saw Palva was pouring with tears, dripping into her lap. "Natsu…I'm scared…" she sobbed, "I…I…I just can't see any way of coming out of this. We couldn't get my flames under control today, but made them worse. No matter what I try, I'm constantly ending up at a dead end. If thirteen years of figuring out my problem hasn't helped, then what's one day gonna do to change that?"

"Don't say crap like that!" Natsu retorted, "One day is all it takes to change something for the better, and you better believe tomorrow's your day. I'll make sure it is. So don't go giving up on me."

Palva raised an arm, wiping away her eyes, but her tears still flowed. "Thank you, Natsu." she thanked him, "I apologize. It's just…I'm scared. I'm scared of dying. I'm scared of not succeeding tomorrow. I want to believe I can, but…" She couldn't finish her sentence after that, her eyes still filled with tears from worry and despair.

Natsu looked at her for a moment. He hate to see her in such despair. He hate to see her in tears. He had lost his father, but she lost way more than that. He had to help her in some way. However, he knew thinking was not his best quality, though he hates to admit it. No matter how much he wracked his brains yesterday and today, he had no way of knowing how to help Palva.

"Let's go, Happy." Natsu ordered, "We should give her some space." "Aye." the blue cat answered, sprouting his wings and carrying Natsu off. Palva watched them leave, then looked down, returning to her thoughts once more. Natsu looked back as they descended back to the campsite, his eyes narrowed. What had Palva not tried? What had Dori not tried to help her? What was one thing that they had never done before that could help Palva?

That night, Natsu only came up to one idea. One idea that a loving sister could not do to her younger sister. It was gonna be hard, but he knew there was no other choice. He had to help Palva, and he was the only one who could do it.

* * *

The next morning, after they finished their breakfast, Natsu had Palva join with him in the middle of the opening, away from the others.

"Looks like Natsu has a plan." Pastry noticed.

"Aye. It's the first time I ever saw Natsu think so hard throughout the night." Happy explained, "He said he had an idea, but he wasn't gonna tell anyone about it."

"Well, right now, we're getting desperate." Leon noted, "If Natsu has something, then we might as well hope it's a good one." Erza and Dori stood nearby the tent of Siegrain's projection, who sat, eyeing the Dragon Slayers as they were preparing themselves for something.

"So what are we gonna do today?" Palva asked Natsu, her tone showing a bit of hopelessness that whatever he was gonna do, it wouldn't work.

"Before we start, I wanna see your lance for a moment, okay?" Natsu ordered, raising a hand to her.

Palva was confused, not sure what he wanted to see her Dragonic Fang for. However, she guessed he had a good reason, and held out the lance to him. He took it off of her, and without warning, threw the lance behind him, slamming it point-first into the pillar far behind him. Palva was shocked, as was everyone else.

"Natsu, what are you-?!" Palva started, but she was stopped by Natsu igniting his fist into flames, and punching her away from him.

"Natsu!" Dori shouted. "What are you doing?!" Erza demanded, "This is reckless!"

"Give her back her lance, Natsu!" Leon ordered as Palva rose to her feet, massaging the part of her face he punched.

"Wha-what are you doing, Natsu?!" Palva questioned, shocked at his abrupt assault.

"If you wanna get to your lance, you're gonna have to go through me!" Natsu barked at her, his face serious and his fists ignited, "I'm tired of goin' easy on you, Palva. Show me what you got, right here, right now!"

"This is insane!" Pastry gasped, turning to Happy, "Can't you stop him? He's your best friend!"

"I don't think he's gonna stop." Happy answered, "Besides, I'd rather not get in the middle of that fight unless you like the smell of burnt cat fur."

Palva was really scared now. Natsu was literally keeping her away from her lance, and not allowing her to have it without a fight. He didn't want to fight him, but she could feel the flames around her starting to come out, unable to contain themselves.

"What's the matter? You scared?!" Natsu demanded, taking a leaping charge and raising a fist at her. Palva crossed her arms and blocked the punch, but got sent flying in the process.

"Why are you doing this, Natsu?!" Palva questioned, skidding to a halt, "I don't want to fight you!"

"Why not? I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer, just like you!" Natsu barked back, giving a demonic grin, "So you can't hurt me with those flimsy flames of yours. Come at me, Palva! Don't hold back!" Siegrain raised his eyebrows, starting to see what Natsu was planning.

He charged at her again with another leaping Fire Dragon's Iron Fist. Palva, realizing he was egging her to fight back, decided there was no choice but to show the danger she possessed. She ignited her foot in flames, and unleashed a Fire Dragon's Talon to counter his fist, creating a burning explosion between the two.

"She's really fighting back!" Leon stated.

"Natsu's going way too far with this!" Dori growled, "I'm getting her lance for her!"

She was about to take off to where the lance was when Siegrain called out, "Hold on!" She stopped and turned to him as he stepped forward. "I think we should allow this to happen. Do not interfere with their fight."

"Are you insane?!" Dori demanded. "What are you getting at here, Siegrain?!" Erza hissed angrily.

"Think about it. They are both Fire Dragon Slayers, so their magic won't hurt one another that badly." the blue-haired Council member stated, "What's more, Natsu Dragneel might be onto something. He's planning to draw out the full extent of Palva's magic, and see if that doesn't draw out what's causing her instability."

As Palva unleashed a Fire Dragon's Pounce at Natsu, who took the hit, Dori pointed out, "But Natsu looks like he'll break her before she reaches that point! And if she doesn't, she could cause major devastation if this keeps going!"

"That's exactly why I want this to continue." Siegrain retorted, surprising Dori and Erza, "Being that you are her sister, and a loving one, you don't want Palva to go to far with her magic. Natsu's doing the one thing you won't do. He intends to push her to unleash her magic until she breaks, and that's when he'll discover the truth about her magic."

Dori was startled at this plan. It was true that she never tested the limits of her sister's magic. In truth, she was afraid of her sister hurting herself because of it. Natsu wants the complete opposite, but he also does this because he cares for Palva. He wants to help Palva, no matter what. And he really meant 'no matter what'.

" **Fire Dragon's Sword-Horn!** " Natsu shouted, charging at her with a blazing headbutt. " **Fire Dragon's Sword-Horn!** " Palva retorted, unleashing a similar attack. They came at one another, and the collision they made caused the ground to explode from the flames. Palva was sent flying harder than Natsu, due to the difference in weight. She glared at Natsu, her flames fully encasing her body.

The male Dragon Slayer looked up to see her shout, " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Talon!** ", unleashing a stream of flames from her foot that curved to Natsu, hitting him in another fiery explosion. The team was shocked at the damage, but saw Natsu whip his arms out, grinning at Palva.

"Oh, yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" he declared, landing on the ground and leaping at her, his arms encased in flames, " **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!** " He swung his arms forward, unleashing a stream of flames as they collided with Palva, creating an explosion equally as devastating as her Brilliant Talon. And just like her attack, she came out of it without too much trouble, only her body emanating with more flames than before.

"I don't know what you're planning Natsu, but I can't stop myself from fighting you!" Palva barked, "Don't apologize if I actually hurt you! **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " She unleashed a blast of flames from her mouth. Natsu pushed himself upwards with a frog leap, dodging the attack and reaching a high point.

"Don't worry about me! I'm all fired up, already!" Natsu barked, inhaling deeply, and unleashing his own Dragon Roar attack, coming down at Palva. She took a leap back, dodging the attack as it exploded on the ground she stood. She skidded to a halt, and unleashed another Fire Dragon's Pounce to come at Natsu. She unleashed another Fire Dragon's Talon, to which Natsu countered with his Fire Dragon's Iron Fist. With their flames at a new intensity than their last collision of similar attack, the explosion caused shockwaves to reach the rest of the group.

"This match is intense!" Pastry stated in shock as he and Happy held onto each of Leon's shoulders to endure the shockwave.

"I'll say. Natsu has incredible tenacity, combat skills, and is physically stronger than Palva." Leon stated, watching Natsu push Palva away in the air, only for her to spin around and come in with a double kick that sent him back to the ground, "Only Palva has the combat skills of a dragoon, and has more powerful flames than Natsu. That said, this fight is so powerful, I can't really declare a winner."

Palva watched as Natsu instantly got back up onto his feet, creating intense flames in his hand, and placing them together. " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!** " Natsu roared, unleashing a powerful ball of flames up at Palva, who took the hit, creating an explosion. Palva came flying back down to the ground in a smoke trail, falling hard onto her back.

"I really, REALLY hope Natsu doesn't cause too much damage to her!" Dori stated, "If he does, then I'm gonna pummel him for putting her through all this!"

"I'm sure Natsu does know what he's doing." Erza stated, "They're hitting each other with intense magic, but neither one of them is getting burnt. I hate to say it, but Siegrain might be onto something with this fight." She turned to the said Council member, who was too focused on the battle as Palva got back up and came at Natsu again, who charged right back at her.

"A battle between two Dragon Slayers of the same element." he stated, watching Palva trade kicks with Natsu's fists, "This has never happened before in our kingdom. I am very intrigued to see just how far they will go, and what the results would be from this fight."

Palva got knocked back once again by Natsu due to the difference in physical strength. She tumbled along the ground until she caught herself on her feet, skidding to a halt. She then glared fiercely at Natsu as she stood back up. She then unleashed a roar that caused the flames to erupt around her.

"Crap, she losing her sanity!" Dori stated.

"Looks like Palva's all fired up, too!" Natsu stated, glaring at her, "Time to go all out!" He launched himself at Palva, who charged right at him in retaliation, unleashing flames from her feet that burned the ground she was running on. When they got close, she flipped over and kicked Natsu in the face, making him recoil. He regained himself and punched Palva in the gut right back, making her recoil in pain. They kept punching and kicking one another, neither side giving an inch to one another, but the same couldn't be said for the ground and nearby pillars that were starting to be affected by the heat.

"So hot!" Happy cried, sweating up a storm.

Leon, who went into his Flame Emperor Armor to provide better heat protection, muttered, "They're fire is so intense, it really could burn the entire place down!"

Just then, Palva grabbed ahold of Natsu around the waist, and used Fire Dragon's Pounce to bring the two of them into the air. "GET READY TO FALL!" Palva roared at Natsu, and she let go of him and unleashed a fiery drop kick on him. He caught her foot, and spun her around, sending her to the ground hard first.

" **Fire Dragon's Whip!** " Palva roared, unleashing a burning stream of flames from her palm, grabbing Natsu around the throat, gagging him and pulling him down with her. Both Dragon Slayers hit the ground hard, causing craters to form from the impact. All viewers were concerned and worried about the two battlers, hoping they were fine.

After several seconds, Natsu rose back up, shaking and coughing as he rubbed his throat. "Dang, Palva. You really are trying to kill me, aren't you?" he moaned, looking up to see Palva rise back up in a burst of flames. She looked ferociously at Natsu, with eyes glowing red in rage. At this, Natsu realized that something was really off about her right now. It was similar to what he felt yesterday when she attempted to control her flames.

His nostrils flared as he sniffed at Palva from a distance, who roared as she charged at Natsu once more, shouting, "I'LL KILL YOU, NATSU DRAGNEEL!" She unleashed a Fire Dragon's Roar, and Natsu took the attack by the palm of his hands, being pushed back by the intense flames in the process.

"Natsu!" Dori cried out. "I never seen Natsu struggle against flames like this before!" Erza recalled, "What could this mean?"

Natsu split the attack apart with his hands, looking surprised at Palva for a second, then glaring at her as she stood there, growling with gritted teeth and red eyes. "What the hell is this?" he questioned, looking at his opponent.

"Natsu, what are you doing?!" Leon demanded, with the two cats behind him.

Natsu didn't answer, but looked at Palva as he stood his ground against the intensity of her flames. Finally, he demanded a question that was startling to the group around him.

"Tell me, who are you? And why are you in Palva's body?"

Palva didn't answer, but after a few seconds, she grinned maliciously. It was a fearful grin, and one that showed that Palva was not in control now. Someone else was controlling Palva at this point.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait, guys. IRL is a pain, and so is the lack of influence to working on the story constantly. Still, I was able to beat myself mentally into doing this chapter, and it took a lot of brainstorming in order to figure out what works for this.**

 **I know that I had to make the Magic Council a firm group and very difficult one to deal with. I looked a lot at InsaneDominator's idea on them in his series 'The Fairy Contender' and 'A Contender's Bonds', and I decided to dull down the control they try to have, and be a bit more reasonable. I felt from his work they were too 'control-freaky' than I imagined in the manga/anime of Fairy Tail. Then again, I guess we all have our different views on politics, and while I can't stand the politics IRL, I can understand a bit of the ones in anime and manga. Some are cruel like the World Government in One Piece, while others I can get by with. Still, this was my idea of the sternness of the Magic Council, so hopefully it works well to others.**

 **I had to make this chapter at least 10k, and I managed to do just that. I added Macao training Palva to get some attention to him. He was kinda cool in some ways, mainly in the pre-timeskip parts. And as for Romeo, I just decided to add him for the sake of it. Still, what were your guys' opinion on me adding that moment of training? I decided to look back on the short flashback during Natsu's battle with Erigor on the bridge, and decided to work from that bit.**

 **As for the cliffhanger I left at this story, you will see that a new character will arrive onto the scene, and the fate of Palva will be told in the next chapter, which will be the last chapter of this arc before the Tower of Heaven arc begins. I assure you, you will find the entire thing enjoyable!**

 **As usual, please like, leave a review, and be patient for the next chapter!**


	13. Demon of Despair vs Flames of Hope!

Dori Himeka stepped away from her desk for a moment, looking outside. She witnessed the sight of Magnolia, peaceful and pleasant. She could see the Kardia Cathedral, it's bell ringing five in the afternoon. She noticed the Fairy Tail guild still being worked on after the destruction from Phantom Lord.

"It's so nice here…" she muttered, "I almost feel like I don't deserve such a place to relax at." She looked down, reminding herself of the past endeavors she had dealt with before coming here. The problems she had with Palva, the constant running from the army, and the time she spent to improve herself to fight against anyone who tried to take her sister away. Now, she didn't have to do that.

"I better finish up the rest of that story." she told herself, "I'm almost done anyway, and I have things to do afterwards."

She walked right back to her desk, stretching her fingers to loosen them up again, and began writing in her diary.

 _"With those two first days of training, it led nowhere but empty results. I was desperate to find a way to cure her, as was everyone else. However, when Natsu forced Palva to fight him with everything she had, I thought that was crossing the line. But it was actually the key to solving my sisters problem with her magic. And it was something I never expected…"_

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ "What?" Dori questioned, shocked at Natsu's question.

"Someone's…inside Palva?" Erza echoed his words, "What does he mean by that?!"

"I'm really confused. Is someone else there besides Palva?" Pastry asked, downright confused as Leon and Happy.

A burning Natsu and Palva were glaring at each other, neither one moving. The intensity of the heat caused the ground beneath them to glow red hot. Palva's Dragonic Fang was still pinned to the pillar, and although she was closer to it than Natsu, she did not even turn to grab it.

"You're still not answering my question!" Natsu barked at Palva, "Who the hell are you?! I can tell by the smell that you ain't Palva!"

For a moment, Palva didn't answer. Then she raised a palm and called out, with a voice that was similar to the one she used when facing Juvia, " **Fire Dragon's Lancet!** " A stream of flames with the head of a dragon came out of her palm, and zig-zagged itself to Natsu. He was gonna take the hit, but the dragon head chomped on his arm, and he cried out in pain as the flames around him started to dim.

"What's going on?!" Erza demanded, "Natsu's magic energy is being drained!"

"The Fire Dragon's Lancet absorbs the magic energy of her opponent and takes it for herself!" Dori explained in a shocked tone, "It's a move that Palva barely ever uses, considering her lance just recharges her energy for her!"

Natsu gritted his teeth against the pain, looking at the magic that was draining him. He then opened up and chomped on the dragon head, eating the attack for himself. Palva detached herself from the stream of flames, and Natsu took all that remained. He slurped up every last of it, before wiping his mouth, grimacing. "Man, those flames were more foul tasting than before." he stated, "That ain't just Palva's magic. It's something a lot worse."

"What is he talking about?!" Happy questioned. "I don't know, but I think Natsu's starting to see something here." Leon answered, "Whatever it is, I bet it's thanks to being a Dragon Slayer like Palva that he can recognize the difference."

Palva glared with gritted teeth at Natsu for a while. Then, without reason, she contorted it into a grin. " **So you recognized me here.** _"_ she spoke, and the ongoing watchers were shocked at this, " **As expected of you, Natsu Dragneel. Only you could've seen through the flames to me.** "

"I have no idea who you are, bub! But if you're the one responsible for messing with Palva's magic, then get out her, right now!" Natsu demanded.

" **What do you think I've been doing for so very long?!** " the possessed Palva demanded, and she blasted at Natsu in a torrent of flames, " **Fire Dragon's Sword-Horn!** " Natsu crossed his arms and took the full blow of the attack, causing him to skid along the ground so hard, he sent rocky debris flying with his feet.

"Natsu!" Happy cried. "How did her attack get stronger?!" Pastry demanded.

"Sorry Palva, but I have no choice!" Natsu growled, igniting his fist, "You wanna get out of her so badly?! Then I'll beat you outta her!" He lunged forward and punched Palva in the face, sending her careening backwards. She flipped and skidded to a halt, encasing her body in flames as she rocketed herself upwards. Natsu eagerly followed by igniting his feet into flames and launching himself after her.

The two reached a level as the possessed Palva shouted, " **Come at me, Dragon Slayer!** " The two launched at each other, consumed in flames, striking heads with each other. Then what came after was a battle in the air, each Fire Dragon Slayer flying about and striking when they saw fit. From below, the team could only see two fireballs colliding again and again as they soared in the air. It was clear that the larger fireball was Palva, but Natsu was able to counter this with brute strength.

"Natsu, you have to help her!" Dori muttered, "You just have to!"

"It seems like I was right." Siegrain spoke up, getting Dori and Erza's attention. He was standing up and watching the battle take place in front of him with a furrowed brow. "It seems like there is a second party that was inside Palva, causing her magic to be unstable." he stated, "And it has now shown itself to us. This situation is very intriguing to me."

"You may find this intriguing, but we're not amused at all by this!" Erza barked at him, angry he wasn't taking the situation seriously.

"But he is right." Dori retorted, "It seems like there's some sort of second personality that's going on right now. Question is; How and when did it get there? I was with Palva the day she was born, so I have no clue when something like this could've taken form inside her."

After the umpteenth time the two Dragon Slayers clashed, they came at each other again, only the possessed Palva had a plan. The moment they almost came in contact, Palva shifted upwards, getting right above Natsu. She then shifted all the flames around her to her foot, and unleash a roundhouse kick that sent Natsu flying down to the ground.

Palva shifted herself upside down in the air as she roared, " **Fire Dragon's Eruption!** " Encasing herself in flames, she unleashed a powerful blast of flames like a volcanic eruption. However, since she was faced upside down, the attack fired right down at where Natsu hit the ground. He looked up in time to see the attack connect with him, resulting in an explosion that caused the remaining pillars to be destroyed, and tent for the Magic Council to go flying. The amphibious Council worker, along with the stationary Rune Knights standing by ended up get sent flying as well. Being a projection, Siegrain was unfazed.

"So much magic power!" Erza exclaimed, using a sword as an anchor for herself, while Dori used a crystal wall to block the attack. Leon did the same thing as Erza, using his Flame Emperor Armor's claymore, while Happy and Pastry held onto his shoulders for dear life.

When the attack was over, the possessed Palva was panting from using so much magic power in her attack. However, she was grinning at the amount of damage she dealt to Natsu. " **Good luck walking off that, Natsu Dragneel!** " she guffawed, " **Even a Fire Dragon Slayer like yourself wouldn't be able to handle that well! Hope that left an impression on you!** "

"Oh, that did leave something!" shouted a certain voice. The possessed young girl was shocked to see, through the smoke of the attack, Natsu standing there, his body scathed from the damage so far in the battle, but still otherwise able to keep going. "It left me pissed off at you using Palva's flames like that against me!" he roared.

" **Impossible!** " Palva gasped. "Okay. Now I'm impressed at Natsu!" Dori stated.

Natsu roared angrily as he unleashed a blast of flames from his body. "Thanks to those flames, I'm all fired up!" Natsu declared. He rocketed at Palva with such speed, that she didn't have time to react. He unleashed a barrage of fists at her, striking her numerous times, preventing her any time to recover. He gave her an opportunity to flail in the air, and he came above her, readying a fist.

"You're going down!" Natsu roared, " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " he hammered his flaming fist on Palva's back, and sent her crashing into the ground, creating a crater and dust to go flying in the process.

"PALVA!" Dori shouted, scared for her sister's life.

"Natsu, that's going way too far!" Erza cried out to him.

"God, I'm hoping she's not dead, or he'll be next!" Leon threatened.

As Natsu descended, he muttered, "Whoops. Guess I might've overdone it." As soon as he landed, he looked through the dust cloud of the attack as he asked, "Hey, Palva! Are you doing okay?! Please tell me I didn't kill you!"

"If she was dead, she wouldn't be ABLE to tell you!" Pastry pointed out.

Just then, Natsu sniffed something, and felt a foreboding feeling. The dust cloud cleared up to reveal Palva standing upright, her body limp. She swayed a bit like a palm tree, but was keeping herself up to prevent from falling.

"Palva, are you okay?!" Dori called out, racing towards her, with Erza right behind her. Leon, Happy and Pastry raced over to them, as well.

Natsu continued to watch as Palva held her ground, her eyes closed, and her face calm. Then, without warning, she shrieked in agony as something black and red started pouring out of her mouth and eyes. The shockwave caused everyone to brace themselves. The flame-like energy formed a sphere in the air, swirling and contorting. When the last of the magic energy came out of Palva, her eyes closed once more as she fell face-first into the ground, lifeless.

"PALVA!" shouted Natsu and Dori together. They raced over to her as the sphere moved through the air. Natsu was the first to reach her, flipping her around so she was face-up. She showed no signs of moving, nor any signs she was still alive.

"Palva! Hey, Palva! Wake up!" Natsu called out, shaking her in an attempt to stir her.

Dori was in shock, her hands clasped around her mouth. "I…I don't sense any magic energy from her." she muttered, causing everyone to be shocked at this. To them, it was like the Drain spell on Makarov all over again. However, there was less life in her right now than there was in the Master.

The sphere of black and red energy started to land on the ground near the group. It started to contort in a different manner. It was taking shape. Everyone turned to see the energy morph as it took on a human appearance. It became as short as Palva, sprouting clawed fingers and feet in boots. The body of it was black and somewhat feminine, almost like it was wearing a tight jumpsuit. It sprouted demon-like wings on its' back, as its' face formed into a similar look to that of Palva, but its' hair looked more pointed than fluffy, almost making it look like it had horns. It had no mouth, but it opened its' eyes, revealing them to be bloody red.

Even as it landed on the ground, its' body didn't look like it held an actual physical form. It was still shifting a bit, here and there. Everyone was in shock at the sight of it. Even Siegrain was wide-eyed at seeing the thing taking form before them.

It looked at its' clawed hands, and it started to chuckle, which was cold and scary. " _ **Finally, after all these years…**_ " it spoke, and it had an ethereal voice that was young like Palva, but neither male or female, " _ **…Finally, I am free!**_ " I raised its' hands in the air at these last words.

It looked at the crowd, mainly at Natsu holding Palva. " _ **I must thank you, Natsu Dragneel. It's all thanks to you that I was able to be freed from that disheveled soul. Course, as I did so, I decided to take all her magic energy with it. Not sure if she survived the process, but…oh, well.**_ "

Natsu looked ferociously mad at the thing before it. Dori, equally as angry, stepped forward and hissed, "And who the hell are you suppose to be?! Why were you in my sister's body?!"

" _ **As for the first question, let's just say I'm what is left after the Flames of Hopes and Dreams.**_ " It stated, " _ **When they dwindle away and die, all that is left are the ashes, which represent lost dreams, empty goals and despair. Ashes is my name, and despair…well, you get the picture.**_ "

"Ashes." Leon echoed its' name in a cautious tone.

"He drained Palva's magic, but he's still leaving me cold." Happy shuddered.

"Why did you take Palva's magic?!" Natsu roared ferociously, "Give it back, right now!"

" _ **Unfortunately I can't do that.**_ " Ashes answered, the tone in its' voice stating he was sarcastic, " _ **You see, it's her magic that's providing me this form. Despite her powerful amount of energy, it was wasted so much during our fight. No matter. It'll take some time, but I'll have a corporeal form. In the meantime, I can still use my powers to drown the lot of you into despair.**_ "

"You still haven't answered my question!" Dori barked as Natsu settled Palva back on the ground again, "When were you in my sister's body?!"

Ashes chuckled at this question. " _ **Ah, yes. That.**_ " he snickered, " _ **The answer is quite simple, Dori Himeka.**_ " Its eyes flashed as he answered, " _ **I was born the moment she was!**_ " The crew was shocked at this statement. This was something no one would've ever expected, least of all Dori. A 'thing' like this was inside Palva ever since she was born?! Why wasn't she known of this? Did her parents know? So many questions, and no answers to boot.

Ashes laughed hardily as he stated, " _ **Not even you, who had studied your hardest for the last decade, could've even guessed that it was an option. That a demon, like myself, was inside the body of that pathetic little girl ever since she was formed in the womb! And now that I'm freed from her, I can finally do what I was meant to do: Drown the entire world into despair!**_ "

"You will do no such thing!" Leon roared, dashing around the crowd as he and Erza rushed at him, brandishing claymore and sword alike. They slashed with their blades as they passed him. It looked like they cut him in half from the torso. However, in truth, he was far from harmed. If he had a mouth, he would be grinning as the two halves of his body became wisp-like, and merged back together again. Erza and Leon looked stunned at this.

"He can regenerate?!" Pastry gasped. "Oh, crap! We're so doomed!" Happy exclaimed, "If Erza can't cut that guy, then we have no way of beating it at all!"

" _ **I guess not having a full corporeal form comes with its' benefits.**_ " Ashes stated, turning to them, " _ **While I don't have an actual body to be damaged, I can't say the same about your guys' bodies.**_ "

He raised a clawed hand and roared, " _ **Ictus Ater!**_ " He slashed with his claws, causing black energy to be shot at the two sword-wielder. They struck and they wailed in pain as they flew off, crashing into the ground in pain.

"What kind of magic is that?!" Dori demanded, shocked at the damage the attack did.

" _ **That was not magic.**_ " Ashes answered with a snicker, turning to her, " _ **And neither is this**. **Radio Tristis!**_ " He turned and with another palm, unleashed a pitch black blast of energy to shoot at the remaining group. There was an explosion, and while most of the group was sent flying, Dori placed up a crystal wall to defend against the attack. It did damage her crystal quite a bit, but she was unharmed. Natsu tumbled along the ground, while Pastry caught the limp Palva. Happy skidded face-first on the ground, his body pushed upwards until he came to a halt.

"Happy, Pastry! Get Palva far from the field!" Natsu ordered. "You got it!" Pastry answered, and he turned to fly off, with Happy, his face bruised from being slid on, flying after him.

He got back up as he growled, "There's no way I think for a second that Palva is dead! But I won't any more harm come to her!"

"Agreed. We'll have to revive her some other time." Dori responded, raising a palm to Ashes, "Right now, we have more important opponents to deal with here! **Crystal Barrage!** " She fired crystal from a magic circle from her hand at her target. However, they only fazed right through his body, nearly hitting Leon and Erza had they not ducked out of the way.

"Not even magic can hurt it?!" Dori gasped.

"Betcha my fire can burn it!" Natsu declared, thumping his fists together to form a magic circle, " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " he unleashed a blast of flames that enveloped Ashes.

"A wide spread attack!" Dori noticed, "But will it be enough?" Her answer came as soon as her question, for she suddenly saw the flames suddenly being sucked in by Ashes. Like how Palva and Natsu absorbed flames, the demon was pulling it all in on the palms of its' hands, sucking it all in.

"Is it absorbing the flames?!" Erza gasped. "Are you kidding me?!" Leon demanded.

As soon as it fully sucked in the flames, Ashes chuckled, " _ **You forget that I took all of Palva Himeka's magic energy. And since I lived inside her body, I also gained the ability to use the same magic as her, including my resistance to flames. And that's not all…**_ "

It tightened its' fists, and ignited in flames as it produced a familiar magic circle. "Oh, no…" Dori muttered, knowing what was happening.

" _ **Fire Dragon's Roar!**_ " Ashes unleashed a blast of red and black flames from where its' mouth should've been. The attack came at Dori and Natsu, who were ready to take it.

However, Leon came out of nowhere, using his Swift Armor to close the gap between the oncoming attack and targets. " **Aegis Blade!** " he roared, using his standard greatsword, and transforming it into shield form. He took the attack, and skidded back towards the other. As he did so, Erza Requipped into her Black Wing Armor, and with a few slash, diffused the Fire Dragon's Roar before it caused too much damage to Leon's weapon, which was red-hot from the flames.

"You okay?!" Leon asked the two. "I'm fine." Dori answered.

"Dude, I could've taken the hit, you know." Natsu huffed, "Still, I can't believe he can use Fire Dragon Slayer magic like me and Palva."

" _ **But it's true.**_ " the demon responded, raising a fist and igniting it into flames, " _ **With the power of the Fire Dragon Slayer magic I stole, plus the Despair Curse powers I wield, I am in a league far above your own.**_ "

"Despair Curse?" Natsu questioned, "Is that some form of magic?"

"No. The Curse he's talking about is a different form of power." Dori explained, "I read about them in books before. From what I was able to gather, only demons have been shown to possess the power of Curses, for it is used only by hearts less than human. However, their powers have always been stated to be more powerful than magic."

"So he really is a demon?" Leon questioned in shock, "I thought that was just a metaphor to describe his character!"

" _ **Aren't you such a book-smart girl, Dori Himeka.**_ " Ashes sassed, raising a clawed hand, " _ **But books are merely words. Those who haven't experienced it can't truly comprehend the true pain of Curses! I can help you!**_ " With a swipe of his claw, Ashes unleashed another Ictus Ater at Natsu, Leon and Dori, who dodged to either side, avoiding the attack.

" **Requip!** " Erza shouted, her body glowing as she entered into Heaven's Wheel Armor, " **Blumenblatt!** " She dashed right past Ashes with a cross-slash, followed by a storm blades that rained down onto the demon. She turned to see Ashes standing there, its' body covered with the blades stuck in the ground, but none of them truly hurting him. Instead, Ashes huffed as it transformed into flames and smoke, moving itself to the side of the blades, then coming at Erza with an outstretched claw.

At this point, Leon had fully Requipped himself into his Shadow Rain armor. He leapt over Erza, standing in the path of Erza, spinning around and made a horizontal slash. Ashes top and bottom split apart, reforming behind the two fighters, its beady eyes looking back at the sword-wielders.

"Give me a break!" Leon barked. " _ **I'll gladly break you.**_ " Ashes retorted, " _ **Crepitus Negans!**_ " With a swipe of his hand, the ground beneath Erza and Leon glowed with black and red energy underneath their feet. The two panicked and tried to leap away, but the ground exploded with the energy, striking the two of them and sending them flying. "Leon/Erza!" Dori and Natsu shouted together.

" _ **As you can see, I can even meld my magic and curses together to make my attacks stronger.**_ " Ashes stated, " _ **Not only that, but my curses always come with a bonus.**_ "

Both Leon and Erza recovered in midair, and landed on their feet. "This is nuts! How the hell can we defeat a guy like that?" Leon questioned with gritted teeth.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he is a formidable opponent." Erza agreed, "I don't know if we have anything that'll phase him."

As Ashes chuckled, Happy noticed something on Leon and Erza and called out, "Look! Something's on their chests!" Everyone looked to see, in the spots where their hearts were, a small black ashy substance forming, clinging onto their body.

"What is this?" Erza questioned, touching the spot.

" ** _That, my dear, is the result of my Despair Curse powers_.** " Ashes explained, " _ **With every hit you take from my curses, your hearts become infected with the power which is the same as my name; the Ashes of Despair. They lose their hope and will to fight, until I completely consume you in it.**_ "

"You mean you can manipulate a person's heart with your powers?!" Dori questioned in shock.

"Man, that's seriously messed up!" Natsu barked at him.

From a distance, Siegrain was frowning at what he heard. To him, this demon was an interference to him. Not only was this demon a danger to the kingdom, but also to his 'personal' plans. If this demon was gonna cause trouble for everyone involved, then he had to stop it. Turning to the nearby soldiers as they rose, he ordered, "Order all the Rune Knights to back up the members of Fairy Tail. Make sure that demon is destroyed!"

"Yes, sir!" one of the Rune Knights answered, and they pulled out their communication lacrima to call the others stationed about the area.

Back in the fight, Leon shook his head as he grumbled, "I can already feel those nagging feelings of hopelessness getting in my head. But I can't give up now!"

"Agreed. Fairy Tail will not bend down to such revolting powers." Erza barked, focusing herself onto the battle, "You will not put us down so easily!"

" _ **Very well. At least make it entertaining for me and my revival into the world!**_ " Ashes declared, giving a 'come on' wave of its' hand to the two of them.

"Hey! Don't ignore us!" Natsu barked, coming at it with a fiery roundhouse kick that went right through Ashes body.

It turned to see Natsu leap up as Dori had a crystalized fist infused with water lacrima encased in it. "Let the waters consume the flames you stole from my sister!" she roared, " **Crystal Rán Net!** " Firing off a stream of water from the crystal, it took the form of a fishing net, held by bits of crystal. It encased the demon, who did not even attempt to avoid it. Dori concentrated, and unleashed a surge more of water lacrima from the crystal. All of a sudden, the net became a dome of water, encasing Ashes within. However, after a few seconds, the water dispersed with a powerful blast of dark energy, stunning Dori. What was followed was another curse slash of energy that came at Dori, striking her from the sky, causing her to hit the ground.

"Dori!" Natsu shouted, racing to her as she sat up. She winced, looking down to see the same small amount of ashy energy infecting her heart. She could feel senses of doubt and disgruntlement rising into her head. However, this was something she did not want to listen to. She rose back up, as Natsu came to her side.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, noticing the curse mark on her. "I'll be fine." she answered, placing a hand over it, "I won't let such a stupid thing get the best of me. I've dealt with despair far worse than this!"

" _ **Then perhaps I should increase the dosage.**_ " Ashes suggested, raising a claw of dark curse powers, ready to use it, " _ **I will especially have pleasure in putting you down into the deepest of despair.**_ "

Just then, a magic circle appeared at Ashes feet, and it was forced off the ground, levitating in midair. The demon didn't seem phased by it, while the rest of the team was surprised. They turned to see all the Rune Knights gather together, circling the battlefield as they had their sights set on it.

"We'll take it from here, Fairy Tail mages!" the leader of the group called out, "Rune Knights, destroy that demon!" They all pointed their staffs at Ashes trapped in the magic circle, and fired magic lasers. The lasers went right through the demon's body, and struck the ground around it, causing an explosion of rubble that shrouded their view. The Fairy Tail mages ducked out of the way of the flying rubble, standing a good distance away.

For a moment, the rubble hid the sight of Ashes from everyone. Then, without warning, their was a shockwave of dark energy, and the demon revealed itself to be standing on the spot the magic circle was before, surrounded by the broken ground where the lasers hit. The Rune Knights were in total shock at this.

" _ **Are you done?**_ " Ashes questioned, its' tone showing how irritated it was, " _ **If so, then it's my turn.**_ " He shot at one of the Rune Knights, who held his staff in defense. With an open palm, Ashes called out, " _ **Statuam Cinis!**_ " With a blast of ash-like energy, everyone watched in horror as the knight screamed in agony as his body ended up turning black and frozen, fully encased in the ash.

The other Rune Knights and the Fairy Tail mages were stunned at what it had done as Ashes looked to the rest of the interfering knights. " _ **You are not even worth toying with.**_ " the demon hissed, " _ **Fall into despair, fools!**_ "

Ashes charged at the nearest pair, who were startled at the speed the demon displayed. With a pair of open palms, it sent a torrent of dark ash at the knights, consuming them as they fell. Before they hit the ground, they were in the same frozen state as the first.

The Rune Knights fired beams of energy from their staffs at Ashes, who maneuvered its ashy body around the attacks. One by one, the mouthless demon froze the knights in many kinds of frightened positions, unable to stop it.

"Stop it right now!" Natsu roared, rushing in with flaming fists to stop Ashes from attacking the remaining Rune Knights.

"Natsu, wait!" Dori shouted, but he was too close to the battle to stop. He made a leaping punch at Ashes, who turned in time to unleash a Ictus Ater at him, striking him and sending him careening backwards, the spot where his heart was at now infected with the ash.

" _ **You shall have your turn later.**_ " Ashes told Natsu as Erza rushed to him, turning to the four remaining knights, " _ **I have to take care of the rabble first.**_ "

"Don't stop fighting, men!" shouted the leader of the Rune Knights behind the other three, "Stop that thing, no matter what!"

" _ **Fools.**_ " Ashes scoffed, seeing the trio rush at it. Stomping the ground, the demon roared, " _ **Spatium Despero!**_ " A dome of black ash suddenly bursted from it, encompassed the three knights, and they wailed in agony as they got engulfed in the power. After five seconds, they too were frozen.

The lead knight was startled as he stumbled backwards. "Wha-what did you do to my men?!" he demanded, his tone showing the fear he had.

Ashes flew through the air to him as it snickered, " ** _I merely froze them in eternal hopelessness, unable to escape their stasis. Fools with weak hearts as yours shouldn't even try. They should accept the despair, and fall. As punishment for interfering, join your colleagues_.** "

"Never!" the Rune Knight roared, swiping his staff at Ashes. However, the staff went right through it as the demon reformed itself straight above him, its' open palm pointing down at him. " _ **Give up into despair.**_ " With these words, Ashes blasted the screaming knight point-blank with dark ash, causing the Fairy Tail mages to back off from the attack, and watch in horror as the leader was frozen, staring up with a frightened look on his face.

"How could you do that to them?!" Dori demanded as Ashes landed on the ground, with Siegrain watching from behind with, surprisingly, a calm glare, acknowledging this demon was not to be messed with at all.

" _ **It was simple. These fools were of no interest to me.**_ " Ashes scoffed, " _ **Their hearts weren't even worthy of prolonging the inevitable.**_ " At this, the demon looked back at Siegrain, seeing his expression, and feeling his heart. " _ **You're not even here, so you aren't even worth it. Even so, your heart…I feel a sort of kindred spirit with you, in a way. Even so, it will all end with despair for you.**_ " Siegrain narrowed his eyes, wondering what he meant by this.

Ashes turned back to the four mages he was fighting, stating, " _ **You four, on the other hand, have incredibly strong hearts. I can't tell you how much of a pleasure it will be to break all of you, piece by piece.**_ "

Happy and Pastry were with the unconscious Palva from a good distance away. But they were still terrified by what had just transpired. This demon managed to defeat each and every one of the Rune Knights with ease. And what it was doing right now was merely toying with their friends.

"Their's…no way they can win." Pastry muttered, shivering in fear, "They can't even touch that thing. How in the heck can they beat it?"

"It's scary…" Happy agreed, yet his paws were curled into fists, "But I know Natsu, Erza, Dori and Leon can do it! They've defeated so many tough guys and survived so much during the attack from Phantom Lord and Galuna. We just have to believe in them!"

"Y-Yeah…" Pastry stammered, "I…I really want them to win, but I just don't see how. Come on, you guys! Stop that thing! For Palva!" Right between the two cats, Palva's fingers began twitching at their calling.

" _ **Now, where were we?**_ " Ashes questioned. Before he could answer, Leon came in with a spinning blade of dark energy. He cut right through the demon, though it didn't do anything.

" **Requip!** " Erza shouted, changing her armor yet again. This time, it was one that was new to Dori and Leon; a skimpy green armor set that looked made to be seaweed and scale-like, with blue fins for shoulder plates and headgear, a black bikini and a loin cloth, and a crystal sword in one hand.

"That's Erza's Sea Empress Armor!" Happy pointed out, "She's fighting fire with water!"

Erza leapt up and unleashed a slash that sent razor-sharp water flying at Ashes as it reformed. " _ **Is that all?**_ " the demon questioned, its' legs moving by itself, " _ **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Talon!**_ " With a roundhouse kick, a fiery stream of flames met Erza's attack, and broke it, going on a collision course with Erza.

"Not a chance!" Natsu roared, getting in her way and blocking the attack with his bare hands. As hard as they pushed against him, Natsu managed to split the attack in half, causing it to hit nothing but the ground behind them. "You may be using Palva's magic, but it ain't no where near as tough as when she uses it!" he told Ashes.

" _ **We shall see about that.**_ " Ashes scoffed, " _ **Radio Tristis!**_ " He fired off another beam of black energy at Natsu, who countered with his breath attack, causing an explosion.

"We can't go easy on him!" Dori told the team, "Time to go all out!" She pumped her arms out, and her body bursted with energy. She was unleashing her Second Origin as her body glowed, ready to unleash full power.

 _'So this is the power Dori Himeka used to defeat José of Phantom Lord.'_ Siegrain pondered, witnessing Dori's power for the first time, _'Let's see what it can do against a demon like this.'_

" _ **Even with your Second Origin, you cannot defeat me.**_ " Ashes stated, raising palms out to both Leon and the trio, " _ **Crepitus Negans!**_ " From beneath Leon and the others feet, the ground glowed with a black and flame-red energy. Within a second, both of which exploded, causing an eruption of rubble. Erza and Leon were once again damaged by the attack, causing the curse marks on their hearts to grow. Dori leapt out of the way in time. Natsu attempted to inhale the attack, as it was part-fire, however, he coughed as the attack cleared up, and he gagged in agony as the curse mark on his heart grew even more than Erza and Leon's.

" _ **Fool. Can't you see you are quickening your state of despair by eating it?**_ " Ashes warned Natsu as he grimaced. Even with smaller marks, Erza and Leon rose up, their expressions contorted as they struggled to overcome the despair that was rising up quickly in their hearts.

The Dragon Slayer shook his head, and to Ashes surprise, he looked up with a grin. "There ain't nothing that'll put me down. It may taste nasty, but I ain't feelin' despair. I'm too fired up to fall!"

" _ **Impossible! You don't even feel a twinge of despair?**_ " Ashes questioned in confusion, " _ **How is this possible? No man alive can take as much of my attacks as you have and not feel something. Unless…**_ "

"Eyes up here, jerk!" Dori called out, and the demon looked to see Dori with her hands encased in a large crystal, which shined with light magic. "If despair and darkness are you strengths, then light is surely the thing that'll stop you, here and now!" Dori roared, landing on the ground in front of Natsu and unleashing crystal rockets of light at Ashes.

" _ **Ictus Ater!**_ " the demon unleashed a pair of slashes that destroyed the attack, causing the two attacks to cancel each other out. " _ **Your attacks are completely pointless against me. Even light gives into despair.**_ " it stated with a chuckle, " _ **If regular doses of despair don't drown you so easily, then I shall see what happens when you take a heaping amount of it.**_ "

Natsu gritted his teeth as he readied for whatever was coming. Dori raised the crystal encasing her hands up high, breaking it and causing the pieces to float around her and Natsu. At the same time, the dark ash was starting to surround the two. The demon was preparing to use the same move it used on the trio of Rune Knights.

" _Come, oh great deity's immunity._ " Dori chanted, " _Unleash thy mother's protection against all weapons and powers of evil._ "

" _ **Spatium Despero!**_ " Ashes roared, swiping its' hands.

" **Crystal Frigg Oath!** " Dori shouted, swiping her arms outwards as well, causing the crystal pieces to shine brightly just as the dark ash consumed the two mages in a dome.

"Natsu/Dori!" Happy and Pastry shouted, as terrified by their safety as Erza and Leon were. For a while, the Curse continued to consume the two in the sphere, with the light of Dori's attack trying to push it back. Then, flames started seeping out, joining the Crystal Frigg Oath. The flames grew more and more until it dispersed the Spatium Despero. The two mages appeared, still intact, but both did use a bit of their magic to save themselves. The others were grateful that they were safe, while Ashes narrowed its' eyes in disgruntlement.

"That was a close one." Natsu muttered, wiping his mouth. "Even with one of my best defensive spells, that was too close for comfort." Dori panted.

" _ **You two really are resilient, aren't you?**_ " the demon scoffed, " _ **Why can't you just fall into despair already? It'll make your suffering the battle with me end.**_ "

"We will never give into despair, no matter how many of those freaky curses you hit us with!" Natsu barked, "Try as many times as you want, we'll still keep fighting you!"

"Agreed." Dori followed, "Plus, I have a few more questions to ask of you. **Crystal Prison!** " With a magic circle, Ashes got encased in a pyramid of crystal, without even the slightest crack for it to escape.

"Since I can't use Crystal Lock on you, I can keep you in one place!" the Crystal mage stated.

"Good thinking!" Natsu commended, punching his fist into his hand, "Now it can escape our next attack!" Erza and Leon regained themselves at this point, fighting back the disparaging thoughts in their minds.

"No, Natsu." Dori stopped him, causing a surprised expression to form on his face, "I have a few questions to ask of this demon."

"This isn't the time for getting to know it!" Natsu pouted, "This is the time to put it down for good!"

"Are you Palva's sibling?!" Dori demanded, giving a glare that terrified Natsu, "Back off until I get some answers!" Even Pastry and Happy were surprised at her decision.

" _ **Let me guess; You're wondering how I ended up coming into being inside Palva, is that it?**_ " Ashes questioned, folding its' arms as it stood inside the prison, unfazed by its' situation.

"Exactly." Dori answered, stepping towards the demon, "You claimed to have been born at the same time as my sister, but I don't buy that. The fact is that you are a demon that was locked up inside my sister, and I bet it was because of you that my sister had to suffer ever since she was a brought into this world. I want to know all about you, here and now." She stopped inches from the Crystal Lock, glaring harshly at the demon inside, "Why were you in my sister all this time, and why were you causing her flames to go amock?"

For a moment, Ashes didn't reply, but merely stared at Dori, neither one averting their gaze. Finally, Ashes stated, _" **If you want to know those answers, then I must tell you my story. Long ago, one of your ancestor's actions caused the rage in my master. I'm sure you've heard of him; Lord Zeref.**_ "

The Fairy Tail mages were all stunned at this. However, unbeknownst to them all, the one who was shocked the most was Siegrain. His eyes widened at the news. "Zeref…" he echoed quietly, one of his hands curling into a fist.

" _ **In his rage, Zeref planted the seed of a demon inside your ancestor, where it would remain dormant until an individual wielding the same power would be given birth into the world. That seed was me.**_ " Ashes continued, " _ **Your ancestor was a powerful mage, and was around the same time as when the dragons were as abundant as the people. She was taught by one of the most powerful Fire Dragons to use magic, and hence, the next in line to wield such flames would be cursed with me when she was born. Palva Himeka was born with the same magic as her, and thus, I was born.**_ "

"So that's why Palva can use Dragon Slayer magic like me?!" Natsu gasped, shocked at this revelation.

" _ **However, your ancestor was crafty.**_ " Ashes continued, " _ **In preparation of my revival, she placed a magic seal on the seed, so as to keep me dormant even when Palva was born. However, in order to keep that seal strong, there was one more thing that was needed. Surely, you can guess what it is?**_ "

Dori took a few seconds, then gasped in realization, looking towards where Palva's Dragonic Fang laid, surrounded in a pile of rubble.

" _ **That's right. The Dragonic Fang.**_ " the demon continued, " _ **It was forged by the combined effort of your ancestor and the dragon that taught her. It is one of a kind, and a powerful weapon in the hands of a Fire Dragon Slayer. With it, it can draw the magic energy from the air into the body of Palva, giving continuous magic for the seal, to keep me from breaking it. However, whenever she doesn't have a grasp of the Dragonic Fang, those were my chances to try to escape. In my efforts of escape, my powers would cause her flames to go out of control. Then, as I go further, the darkness in her heart will rise up. Rage, despair, violence. Anyone she would see would be targeted and attempted to be killed. Still, it was fun to see that in all that, I was able to cause Palva endless pain and anguish because of me. Sounds like I was doing a good job, even if I hadn't started anything.**_ "

Ashes chuckled as it finished, " _ **However, thanks to the second Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel, he allowed me the time to fully escape Palva's body, taking her magic with it. So now…**_ " Its' body glowed with a dark energy, causing Dori to back off, " _ **…I can finally use the rage of Lord Zeref, and succumb the world in the despair he so wishes to have! And nothing will stop me!**_ "

With a blast of energy, he broke the Crystal Prison, causing shards to go flying, one of them grazing Dori's cheek and causing it to bleed. However, neither Dori or Natsu moved from where they stood, nor did they care about the injuries that did or would've happened. They were reminded of what Palva had been through for the past thirteen years, especially everything that had happened during the battle against Phantom Lord. Everything the demon told was unforgivable. Everything the demon told made them beyond angry.

"Zeref, you monster. How could you…" Dori sneered, the ground beneath her cracking at her magic's power.

"You enjoyed making Palva suffer like that?" Natsu questioned, his voice quiet, but his tone furious.

Both mages looked at Ashes, their eyes dilated in rage as they roared, "PALVA SUFFERED ALL THESE YEARS BECAUSE OF YOU! WE WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

They bursted with energy, whether it was flames or an aura of magic. " **Crystal Wall!** " Dori shouted, slamming the ground to produce a wall in front of Ashes, " **Crystal Diety: Njord!** " With the crystal infused with wind magic, the powerful gust caused Ashes to brace itself, its' ashy body being pushed further away from Dori.

"You may be unable to be touched, but that doesn't mean your body can't be affected by everything!" Dori stated, "Case and point, your body still has an existence that it can be affected by the wind!"

Ashes held its' ground as it smirked, " **J _ust because you are blowing wind doesn't mean it'll hurt me. Your attack is useless!_** _**Radio Tristis!**_ " The demon unleashed a powerful beam at the crystal Dori held herself behind.

Natsu suddenly leapt over the crystal wall, his cheeks bulging as he unleashed a Fire Dragon's Roar, amplified by the wall of wind magic behind him. It countered Ashes' attack, causing a great explosion.

Ashes endured, but didn't see Dori dash close to him. " **Crystal Dome!** " she roared, causing a dome of crystal to form around the demon. " **Lacrima Release: Water, Wind!** " she roared, and the dome glowed brightly. Inside, the crystal was unleashing a fusion of wind and water, drowning the demon within.

"Taste the full wrath of Njord, the diety of the winds AND the seas." Dori seethed, pouring her magic into the crystal, " **Crystal Njord Storm!** " The intensity of the water and wind inside the dome greatly increased, while all they could see was the glowing of the crystals on the outside.

"That should do it." Leon stated, "That attack is like being hit with a high-level hurricane and tsunami together. There's no way that thing can get out of that unscathed."

After a few seconds, Leon's theory was starting to prove false, as the crystal grew black from within, and it started to crack. "No…" Dori muttered, seeing what was happening. There was a massive explosion, and crystal and dark energy surged out, hitting the mages and sending them flying in pain. Erza collided into a stone pillar, while Leon rolled to a halt. Natsu skidded to a halt, but saw Dori flying towards him, taking the worst damage out of all of them. He caught her and fell back, seeing that she was battered up pretty badly. All of their curse marks grew somewhat bigger, especially Dori's.

Ashes revealed itself, freed from the attack. It looked at Dori and Natsu as it narrowed its eyes. " _ **Wow. That actually hurt a little.**_ " it stated.

"You can't be serious!" Erza gasped.

"It took a concentrated attack like that, and it barely did a thing?!" Leon questioned, "This just ain't good at all!"

"Hey, Dori! Wake up!" Natsu called to her. The Crystal mage slowly opened her eyes.

"I'm…sorry, Natsu." she apologized, "I just…I can't stop it. No matter what we throw at it, we just can't defeat that thing."

"Don't say that!" Natsu barked back, "We can still beat that thing! We just gotta keep trying until we take it down! Remember, it's all for your sister!"

"But…but…" Dori moaned, "I…just can't see any way of doing it… I'm sorry, Natsu. I just…" The Dragon Slayer was in shock at how pathetic and sad Dori sounded right now.

" _ **That's right. Give into despair.**_ " Ashes stated, approaching the two, causing Natsu to glare ferociously at it, " _ **This is the nature of humanity. Their 'hope' can only last for so long, and no matter how much they claim to cling onto it, in the end, they will lose it all. I was made to hasten humanity's progression to despair, born from the rage of Zeref. No matter how much you struggle, your burning flames of hope will dwindle away into ashes. Now give into it, just like Dori Himeka.**_ "

Leon and Erza looked to Natsu, who's eyes were shadowed from view, wondering what he was gonna say about it. However, in their hearts, they were agreeing with Dori. They couldn't do anything to stop Ashes.

Beside the scared Pastry and Happy, Palva was laying there, still out of it…well, almost. For a while, she had regained conscious, but was unable to move. In her mind, she was standing all alone, in the dark.

 _'Sis… I can't believe I'm hearing my sister give in like this.'_ she thought to herself, _'I can't move, and I don't have any magic power. I'm completely helpless, while my friends are losing against something that should be my problem. I'm useless. My friends are gonna fall into despair, and I can't do a dang thing about it. I'm…I'm…'_

"Ain't gonna happen!" she heard Natsu roared. Everyone was shocked to see Natsu holding up Dori by one shoulder as he stood up, and with a stern expression on his face. Even Ashes was shocked by this invigoration.

"I told you. You can't put a member of Fairy Tail down, no matter how much despair you throw at us!" he growled, thumbing the curse mark on his chest, "This thing can't put me down, and neither can you!"

" _ **But how?**_ " Ashes questioned, " _ **You should be falling to your knees. You have taken as much damage as the rest of your foolish mages, so how is it that you still have the strength to stand against me?**_ "

"Because I made a promise to Palva!" Natsu barked, getting a surprised look from Dori, "I promised her I would free her of the curse that held her down for so long, and I ain't gonna let up. If there's a chance she can regain her hope again, then I gotta keep fighting. Cause Fairy Tail makes sure everyone's hopes are safe from monsters like you!"

Dori, Erza, Leon and the cats were amazed at Natsu's determination. What was driving him was something so small, yet so strong. The promise to help a close friend. The hope to regain someone else's hope. These things may sound simple, but to him, they were a powerful driving force that preventing any despair from entering his heart.

 _'Natsu…'_ Palva thought to herself, and she was shedding a tear after hearing his words, _'You are so strong and kind. You know you can't defeat that demon, but you stand against it for my sake. I…I just can't stand laying here and letting my friends and family fall to that thing! Magic power or no power, I have to fight it! Come on, body. Move!'_ Palva struggled to move, but she couldn't even budge an inch. Her body was so worn out and battered from fighting Natsu plus unleashing Ashes.

 _'If…If I only had some magic energy, I could find the strength to move!'_ Palva told herself, _'Please! Help me move!'_

 ** _'Palva.'_** a female voice suddenly spoke up from inside her head, and she stopped struggling, _'_ _ **Are you choosing not to give up hope?** '_

 _'Who's there?!'_ the Dragon Slayer girl questioned, _'Who are you?'_

 _'_ _ **I was what held Ashes back all these years.**_ _'_ the voice spoke, _'_ _ **However, due to it being unleashed, I have been weakened, and can barely do anything. But if you choose to fight, I shall give you what remains of my strength to stand and fight. Do you wish it?**_ _'_

 _'If it means I can fight for my friends and family, and take down that ash demon, then please! I need all the help I can get!'_

 _'_ _ **Then here.**_ _'_ the voice spoke, and within her mind, Palva saw a glowing red hand reaching up from within the darkness. Palva could barely recognize the person, as her body was bright. Blinded a bit, Palva looked at the hand reaching out to her, and she took it. The hand was hot, and it started to move itself onto her, completely encasing her body. Palva looked at her body, seeing it glow.

 _ **'I must rest.** **'** _ the voice stated, falling back into the darkness, _'_ _ **However, when the time is right, I will reawaken, and help you once more.'**_

 _'Thanks. You deserve a good rest.'_ Palva replied, looking up with a determined glare.

* * *

In reality, Ashes' clawed hand held a swirling orb of black ash and fire, looking at Natsu, who still held on to Dori. " _ **Guess I have no choice. This playtime is over.**_ " it stated, " _ **I might as well do the one thing that'll drown you all in despair; Take out the one that is the most stubborn to take down. Fall, Natsu Dragneel.**_ " It pulled back it's hand of energy, while Natsu gritted his teeth, prepared to fight against the demon. " _ **Statuam…**_ "

"HEY!" barked a voice. Everyone, mages, Siegrain, cats and Ashes, turned. Palva was on her feet, panting from the effort of rising back up. Even so, she was glaring harshly at Ashes as she hissed, "Your fight…is with me!"

"Palva!" Dori gasped, shocked at her sister's recovery. "You're back up on your feet!" Natsu stated, pleased at this. Erza, Leon and the cats were also shocked and amazed to see this.

" _ **Well, well. It seems like you're alive after all.**_ " Ashes stated, diffusing the energy in its' hand, " _ **But it doesn't look like it can take long to take you down. Still, how did you get back up onto your feet?**_ "

"Because I don't intend to give up on a battle that started since I was born!" Palva barked, "For thirteen years, you have been sealed inside of me. You were responsible for my uncontrollable flames. You're the reason why I was hunted, wanted, intended to be killed or worse. You're the reason why Dori, Leon, Pastry, and all my friends from Fairy Tail have suffered and are suffering right now! You may be the cause of it all, but I will be the one who'll finish it!"

In the midst of her speech, her feet ignited in flames. On her last words, she unleashed a Fire Dragon's Pounce that launched her at Ashes. " _ **Go ahead and try.**_ " the demon scoffed, knowing what she was planning, " ** _But what hope do you have against someone even your allies can't-_.** " Before it could finish this, Palva unleashed a roundhouse kick that, to everyone's shock, struck the demon's body…like it was any normal body. The force of the attack sent it flying into the rock wall, where Ashes collided, forming a crater with its' own body. Palva watched the demon fly, her face determined.

"She hit Ashes!" Pastry gasped. "WHAAAAAT?!" Happy exclaimed.

"But how is that possible?" Erza questioned in shock. "No kidding. We hit that thing with all we had, and it didn't do anything!" Leon pointed out.

Natsu and Dori looked at Palva as she fell to one knee, panting from exhaustion. "She's worn out." the sister noticed, "She barely has any magic energy in her."

"Then its' time to fuel her up!" Natsu declared, turning to his fellow mages, "Guys, give her all the flames you can deliver!"

"Right. She's a Dragon Slayer." Erza stated, getting to her feet again, "Eating flames will recharge her."

"Guess that means we'll have to pour everything we have into her." Leon declared, readying himself, "I'm game. Let's do it!"

"If my sister is able to hit Ashes, she's our best chance at beating it." Dori deduced, freeing herself from Natsu's grip, "She's our best hope at beating Ashes."

The trio, who were in complete dismay before, were starting to regain their hope once more. The two sword-wielders Requipped into their Flame Emperor and Empress armors, readying their swords. Dori prepared an orb of crystal, pouring as much Fire magic as she could into it. Natsu turned to Palva, who looked back, nodding in understanding.

"Let's do it!" Erza shouted as she and Leon swung their swords, unleashing torrents of flames.

" **Crystal Diety: Logi!** " Dori shouted, unleashing the crystal, turning it into a fireball.

"This is for you, Palva!" Natsu declared, thumping his fists together, producing a magic circle, " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " he unleashed his breath attack at Palva, though it didn't have far to travel as she was so close.

All four attack collided with Palva, and there was an explosion of flames that rose higher than the top of the canyon they were in. Ashes, shaking off the attack it was delivered, looked up in shock at the size of the flames.

"Eat up, Palva!" Natsu called out.

"Thanks!" Palva responded from within, and she started inhaling. All the flames that came onto her started to be sucked in by Palva. Her cheeks were bulging at the amount of flames she was eating. It was like nothing Dori and Leon had ever seen, considering they were use to seeing her take in flames with her lance, which still laid on the ground close to the group. After about twenty seconds of eating, Palva finished eating all of the flames. She swirled all that remained in her mouth, then swallowed, puffing out a bit of smoke. The injuries she once had were suddenly gone. She was fully restored and ready to kick butt.

"Now that hit the spot. A full course meal of flames given by my dear friends and family!" she stated, and she looked up at where Ashes stood, grinning almost like Natsu would after a recharge, "My heart is burning brighter than ever before. You can be sure of that!"

"Yeah!" Pastry cheered, jump-punching the air. "She's got a real fire in her belly!" Happy followed him. Siegrain smirked, seeing that a turnaround was taking place.

" _ **You should've stayed down while you had the chance.**_ " Ashes warned Palva, " _ **Now you'll suffer just like your fellow mages. Fall into despair, child!**_ "

"Make me!" Palva roared, unleashing another Fire Dragon's Pounce at Ashes. The demon dodged as Palva flipped her feet onto the wall, and ricocheted off of it, unleashing a Fire Dragon's Talon that collided with the body of Ashes once more, sending him careening to the ground.

" _ **This is not possible!**_ " the demon gasped, rising back up in pain, only for Palva to come down on it with a Fire Dragon's Sword-Horn.

"I still don't get how Palva can hit Ashes, while we can't." Leon watching Ashes leap upwards, unleashing Ictus Ater, while Palva used Brilliant Talon to destroy the attack.

"I think I'm starting to get it." Dori understood, "It's similar to that of Body-Link Magic."

"Say what now?" Natsu questioned.

"Think about it. Ashes was inside Palva ever since she was born. Those two share a connection with one another." Dori reminded, "And if they are connected…"

"Then Palva is capable of attacking its' body, even if it doesn't have a fully physical form!" Erza finished in realization, seeing the two in the air, glaring at one another, "That means she's the only one capable of dealing any physical damage to Ashes!"

"Exactly. Palva may be the only one capable of stopping that demon!" Dori concluded.

"Well, in that case. She's gonna need an extra bit of power!" Leon stated, racing over and grabbing Palva's Dragonic Fang. Just as the two opponents landed, Leon shouted, "Catch, Palva!" He threw the weapon like it was a javelin, its' trajectory specifically aimed at the spot Palva was at.

She saw it coming, reached out, and grabbed it, twirling around and holding it in both hands. "Thanks! Now let's burn!" Palva declared, charging at Ashes.

The demon let out a roar that fit its' being, and charged right back at her. It grasped ahold of the lance Palva held, grimacing as it sneered, " ** _You may be able to cause physical harm to me, but I can do the same for you_!** " Palva didn't care as she shoved Ashes back, then unleashed a slash that made the demon howl in pain as one of its' wings was clipped off.

"Well, look at that." Palva sassed, seeing the damage, "If it can seal you, the Dragonic Fang can do serious damage to you as well. **Fire Dragon's Javelin!** " She shot forward with her lance, but Ashes dodged it.

" _ **Crepitus Negans!**_ " Ashes roared, slamming a palm on the ground. Where Palva landed, a circle of dark energy was starting to produce.

"Look out, Palva!" Dori shouted, slamming a foot on the ground, " **Crystal Launcher!** " Palva was shot up by the crystal her sister produced, narrowly dodging the explosion that would've gotten her.

"Thanks, sis!" the younger sister called out, reaching the climax of her catapult, and looking down at Ashes. She threw her lance down at the demon, who leapt back to avoid the attack, and unleashing more dark energy slashes up at Palva. As she fell, she spun and maneuvered around in the air. She grabbed her lance before she hit the ground, spun around like a pinwheel, dislodging her lance as she shot at Ashes. She swung her lance forward, but the demon shouted, " _ **Spatium Despero!**_ " It unleashed a blast wave from itself, causing Palva to fly back from the shockwave.

" _ **Don't get cocky just because you're able to hit me.**_ " the demon sneered, watching Palva flip around and unleash a Brilliant Talon, only for it to dodge to one side, " _ **I have been with you since the day you were born. I know all your skills and techniques! All I have to do is avoid getting hit by you, and wait till you are worn down.**_ "

"Then I guess I have to improve, here and now, and do something you never seen me do!" Palva declared, stabbing her lance into the ground, pulling it back, and launching herself off of it at Ashes.

She thumped her fists together, igniting them in flames, and spread her arms out wide. Natsu grinned, noticing what she was gonna do. " **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!** " she roared, whipping streams of flames at Ashes. It got collided in between the two flaming streams, causing an explosion. However, Ashes was flying back, unscathed by the attack.

"Oh, no you don't!" Palva barked, skidding to a halt as she was pulling back a hand, "Let see you escape this! **Fire Dragon's Whip!** " using the new technique she gained from working with Macao, she unleash a long stream of flames that wrapped itself around Ashes' body, yanking the demon back to her.

"This is for all the harm that you done to me all these years, and for what you have done to my friends!" Palva roared, pulling back her free fist. Ashes looked to see a silhouette of Natsu reflected off of Palva, with the same ferocious glare at it. " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " she roared, throwing her flaming knuckle with all the strength she could. She collided with his face, causing its' eyes to become distorted, before sending it flying into a pillar, creating an explosion of rubble. Everyone was amazed at the power of the punch she delivered, especially considering she never used punching or arm attacks like Natsu.

As Ashes laid in the pile of rubble, groaning from the pain it was in, Palva used her Fire Dragon's Whip to snatch her lance from afar, bringing it back to her hand. "Now, to end this." she declared, leaping at the demon with her Pounce. Ashes looked up to see her with a raised lance, before slamming it point-first into its' chest. There was a howling of pain as the dragon's tooth sunk deep into it.

For a moment, everyone thought this would kill the demon. However, their theories were wrong as it glared up at Palva, grinning maliciously. " _ **If you thought that could kill me, then you're wrong!**_ " it hissed, " _ **As long as despair exists, I cannot truly die! As long as despair exists, I can always get stronger. You cannot defeat me!**_ "

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean I can't take back what is rightfully mine." Palva barked back, twisting the Dragonic Fang to cause the demon more pain, "I'm taking back my flames that you stole from me!"

Wincing, the demon chuckled as it said, " _ **Do you really think you can just take it? If you absorb that back, you take me with it. I'm apart of the flames, now. And now that the seal is broken, even with your Dragonic Fang, I will make sure the flames will never quell. You will continuously burn forever, destroying your closest friends and family, killing lives, burning towns! The unbearable despair I shall deliver to will cause you to wish you were dead! I will make sure that you will never rest, and soon, the entire world will hunt you down, and kill you, so that I will live once more! Face it! You can either take your flames and me and die, or free me now, and I'll drown you and your friends into despair! There's no hope for you! It is over!**_ "

Palva's eyes were shadowed as the demon spoke. Her friends were worried about what choice she was gonna make. Was there truly no hope for her to stop the demon? Was there no way to end this without her life to be one of torment and pain?

Finally, she spoke, "I don't think you heard me right. I said I'm taking back my flames, and nothing else!"

" _ **And what makes you think I won't go with the flames?**_ " the demon questioned.

"Because the Dragonic Fang won't absorb you." Palva answered, smirking, "With it, plus my years of learning to control my flames, I can separate you from my flames!" She gripped the lance tight as the flames from the demon's body started to spiral up the lance, into Palva. Ashes was in shock, not believing that this was really happening.

" _ **No, stop!**_ " the demon bellowed, grasping the lance and trying to pull it out, " _ **These flames are mine! You can't take them!**_ "

"I can, and I will!" Palva barked back, "All these years, you used my flames to cause so much pain to so many people, caused so many lives to be lost, and made my life a living hell! Well now, it's time to free myself from this curse, and take back what is truly mine. These flames were never yours to begin with! They belong to me, Palva Himeka, Fire Dragon Slayer, and Fairy Tail mage!"

The demon roared in rage as it grew weaker and weaker, while Palva's flames were pouring right back into her once more. After a minute of this, Palva retracted her lance, her body unleashing small bits of ember, while Ashes looked weak and crippled as an old man, its' body withering like a flame almost ready to be snuffed out.

"Palva got her flames back!" Natsu cheered, unaware that the curse mark on his chest had faded away. The other three, on the other hand, saw the curse marks fade.

"The marks are gone." Leon stated. "Yes, and my mind is free from those disparaging thoughts!" Erza added, smiling graciously.

Dori looked about, seeing the statued Rune Knights starting to be freed from the ashes, coming back to life once more. They looked at one another, and at their bodies, relieved at their freedom. "Ashes powers must've been greatly weakened after losing Palva's fire." she guessed, "Glad that nightmare is over."

 _'Palva Himeka.'_ Siegrain pondered, looking at the freed knights and mages, to Palva, who stood staring at the weakened demon, _'It would seem there is more to you and your sister than meets the eye. They actually hold a connection to Zeref. I must learn of this connection in due time. But maybe after my plan fully comes into fruition.'_

Palva glared as the demon's ashy body suddenly rose up, swirling into an orb of black ash. Its' eyes were still visible as it glared at Palva. " _ **So it seems like there is still some fire burning in your heart, Palva Himeka.**_ " it sneered, " _ **Fine then. You can keep your flames, for now. But make no mistake; I will always be there to haunt you once more. I shall take my revenge on you and your friends and family. And when I'm done with you, the world shall truly fall into despair, for all of eternity!**_ "

With one slash of the Dragonic Fang, Palva sliced the demon orb in half, causing it to shriek and fade away, becoming wisps of smoke as it flew off to who knows where. As it left, she muttered, "Bring it on, Ashes. I'll be ready." The wisp flew off over the canyon, and vanished from view.

For a moment, no one moved from where they stood. Then, Palva started to sway, and she dropped her lance as she fell to the ground, unconscious. "Palva!" the Fairy Tail mages called out, racing towards her, with Happy and Pastry right behind them. Palva didn't respond, but laid there, almost lifeless to the world around her.

* * *

It felt like forever when Palva started to regain consciousness. Her body felt pretty light, as she was laying on something soft. The injuries she had felt before didn't seem as bad. She could feel based on the texture of her clothing that she was wearing something different. A blanket was covering her, based on what she was feeling. Was she in a bed? Where? And who changed her?

Slowly, she opened her eyes, gazing up at the natural ceiling above her. "She's waking up!" Pastry's voice called out, and she heard rushing footsteps. Palva tilted her head to see Dori, Natsu, Leon, Pastry and Happy, all gathered together in front of her bed. From a distance, she could see an old lady standing there, noticing her revitalization to the world.

"Are you okay?" Dori asked as Palva looked to her, worried.

"I'm…fine…" she muttered, rising herself up slowly, "Where are we?"

"In Porlyusica's place in the East Forest." Leon answered, "After you fainted, we got permission by Siegrain to transfer you here."

Palva looked at the crowd, then up at the old lady she assumed was Porlyusica approaching the bed. "It seems like the great fluctuation of losing and gaining magic at a rapid pace took its' toll on your body." she stated, "Not to mention the intense exhaustion and injuries you had. It's a miracle a child like you was able to survive all that."

"Hey, she's a tough girl!" Natsu defended, "Nothing can keep a Dragon Slayer down for good!" Dori nodded in agreement, smiling at this. The old medicine lady merely huffed at the youthful intuition.

Palva yawned and stretched, then realized something was missing. She looked down and noticed her lance was gone. Panicking, she demanded, "Where's my lance? Where's the Dragonic Fang! I need it, quick!"

"Easy, easy there!" Leon stopped her, "Your lance has been over there for the past couple days." He pointed over to one side of the room where her lance was resting on the side of the wall. Based on the sight of it, it had been polished and cleaned up.

"Wait. My lance had been there for the past couple days?" Palva asked, shocked, "You mean I wasn't holding it in my sleep?"

"You were way too exhausted to even put a finger on it!" Happy stated.

"That's not the point!" Pastry barked back at him, "She means she didn't burn up in her sleep. She was able to sleep soundly without holding onto her lance."

Palva was in shock at this. "So…I'm…" she started, the pieces of the puzzle starting to come together.

"That's right. With Ashes out of your body, your flames won't go out of control anymore." Dori assured her sister, smiling with great joy, "You don't have to worry about inadvertently destroying anything anymore."

Palva was amazed. She should be happy, but her shock was making it practically impossible for her to show it. Still, there was a couple more thing that was on her mind as Porlyusica walked away into a separate room.

"What about Ashes? Where is it?"

"Gone. The moment it flew off, we didn't know where it went." Leon answered, "Still, with how you left that thing, I doubt it will come around anytime soon."

"Still, the fact that it existed in my sister's body still confuses me." Dori muttered with concern, "It said that one of our ancestors enraged Zeref into planting that demon as a seed inside her. But what did she do to cause that rage?"

"Ah, who cares about that!" Natsu waved off, "What matters is that its' gone, and Palva's a free girl!"

"But, what about the Magic Council?" Palva asked, the last thing she was worried about, "What are they gonna do to me?"

"We got a letter from them recently." Dori answered, "Due to Siegrain's testimony, the eyewitness reports, even records taken on lacrima, we found full-fledge proof of your innocence against all the damage of your past. It might take a long while to convince the Alvarez Empire, but they made sure to lift your bounty from this continent and free you from all the crimes that were placed against you. There's no need to worry about any bounty hunters, greedy guilds or anything. We are free and safe, at long last."

At these last words, Palva's eyes watered up, and her lips quivered. Those were words she thought she never would hear. She thought this was a dream, but she didn't think it was, especially since she never once had a dream in her life. She was free, at long last. Her sister, Leon, and Pastry wouldn't have to worry about taking care of her so much. She was no longer hunted, nor a danger to any innocent person. The curse was finally over.

Palva looked at her hands, watching the tears drip down onto them and the sheets. Natsu patted her shoulder, and she looked up at him. "Told ya I would help ya out. Now you don't have any reason to leave the guild. You happy now?"

Palva's lips slowly curved into a smile, nodding in response. "You…you saved me, Natsu. How can I not be happy? I…I've never been so happy in my life…" She couldn't hold it back anymore, and she wrapped her arms around his midriff, bawling in tears. However, unlike so many other times in her past, these tears were those of joy. They were tears that showed how overjoyed and gracious she was for Natsu, and all that he had done. Over and over, she cried, 'thank you' to Natsu, while the Dragon Slayer patted her head.

Dori was crying at the sight of her sister's joy. Pastry shed a few tears, though Happy was dripping with them. Leon folded his arms, smiling at the sight. He didn't shed a tear, but he was very happy for Palva. Even behind the door, Porlyusica smiled graciously at the sight, feeling the warmth in her heart.

After a while, Palva pulled herself together and rose to her feet. She was still tearing up, but she wiped them away as she sobbed, "I can't believe this day had finally come. I thought it was a pipe dream."

"It's not." Dori assured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "You can live your life however you want. Just remember that I'm here with you. I'm still your overprotective sister, and all that."

"And it just wouldn't be the same if I weren't with you girls." Leon added, stepping forward, "I'll always be here as a friend and protector."

"I feel the same thing, as well!" Pastry agreed, flying in midair, "We've been together for so long, it would be awkward to go our separate ways now."

Palva smiled at the people who cared about staying around her, then looked to Natsu as he stated, "And you can be sure you have a family with Fairy Tail. Just wait till we get back to the guild! They'll all be excited to see you again. Plus, I think Lucy wanted to tell us something. I think it was about Loke or somethin'."

"I can't wait to see them, as well." Palva agreed, smiling, "Let's go, big brother!"

The team looked surprised at what she addressed Natsu as. "Uh, what?" Natsu asked, confused. "Big brother?" Dori asked.

"Sorry." Palva apologized, "It's just…well, we are both Fire Dragon Slayers, and you do look like you can be my older brother. Plus, I just get this feeling you and I are family, ever since Galuna. Is it okay to call you that, Natsu?"

The male Dragon Slayer paused for a second, thinking on it. Finally, he grinned as he answered, "You know what, I kinda get that same feeling! Sure, I guess I can make you my little sister!"

Palva beamed as she pulled away from Dori and said, "Thanks, big brother! I'll do my best to be the best sister you can have!" She giggled as she raced over to grab her lance.

"So, a big brother, huh?" Dori asked, approaching Natsu.

"Sure. Hope you don't mind sharin'?" he asked the actual older sibling.

She shrugged as she answered, "Guess it's okay with me, just as long as you two don't cause too much trouble. I'm mentally much older than the two of you, so you better behave!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." the two Dragon Slayers answered simultaneously. They looked at one another, grinned, and bursted out laughing. Dori, Leon, and the two cats followed as well, filling the room with laughter that was a long-time coming. The joy they all felt in this room was worth the wait for the Himeka sisters.

* * *

Dori smiled as she dipped her pen into the ink, looking down at the last page she was gonna write in.

 _'It had been a long time coming, but my sister was able to walk back to our home as a free girl. When we arrived back at Fairy Tail, we were greeted with so much joy and happiness, that it was kinda scary at first, since me and my sis were use to mobs throwing death threats and rage against us. Still, we were able to adapt, and they promised a proper party celebrating my sister's freedom.'_

 _'On another note, we were reunited with Lucy and Gray again. Gray and Natsu started fighting after a dispute on the former stating that it took too long for Natsu to get it done. I get the feeling those fights will be a common thing around here. Then, we were surprised by the news Lucy had for us. Turns out, the guy, Loke, was really a Celestial Spirit. One of the Zodiac; Leo the Lion. He was forbidden to come back to the Celestial world due to an accident with his former owner. But thanks to Lucy and a meeting with the Celestial King, he was able to return and stay alive, and is now one of Lucy's spirits.'_

 _'And as there was more good things for us, Loke actually gave us all tickets to this beach resort. According to the info, its' not only a beach resort, but also a casino and theme park. Considering my sister and I, Leon and Pastry had never been to one of these things, we were more than happy to take up on Loke's offer. Erza got her ticket as well, based on the huge amount of luggage she suddenly showed up with.'_

 _'Considering we didn't have anything for such a place, we decided to go shopping for clothing, swimsuits, and all that stuff. All I can say is that I can't wait for us to finally relax and be free to have fun.'_

Dori placed the pen back in the ink pot, stretching her fingers out to loosen them once more. "Done." she sighed, "It kinda felt good to write down all that. Hopefully, we'll have more things fore me to write about."

"Hey, sis!" shouted a voice, and the door opened to her room to reveal Palva standing there, carrying a few bags of supplies and clothing. She was also equipped with a new carrying case for her Dragonic Fang, which she held on her back.

"Oh, hey." Dori greeted, "Did you get everything you need?"

"Sure did!" the younger sister answered, "I got everything we need for our trip! This is gonna be great!" She beamed with excitement, causing her older sister to giggle at the sight of her, which made her ask, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. Just glad to see you filled with so much spirit." Dori answered, "Now, there no need to worry about anything, right?"

"You got it!" Palva answered, looking at one of the bags, and adding, "By the way, I made sure to get you a swimsuit. Erza said with your figure, you were better off with a bikini…" She frowned in comical irritation as she added, "I was able to memorize your bust size by heart. Seriously, how is it that your chest grows and mine hasn't? It's so not fair!"

"Well…I guess we don't have to worry about anything drastic." Dori muttered in a bemused tone. She was kinda use to Palva's jealousy at other people's bust growths while her's was still flat. Still, she smiled at the fact that this was the only big thing right now she had to worry about.

"Come on. Let's pack things up properly and meet the others." Dori told her, passing her by as she left her room.

"Wait up!" Palva replied, racing after her. The door closed on the room, leaving it empty as it once was before. The diary on the table still open at the last words Dori had written into it.

However, after what would happen soon, there would be more to write in the diary than before. And some of it won't be pleasant.

* * *

 **FINALLY! The Ashes of Despair arc has finally made its conclusion. I must say, it was quite difficult prolonging this fight to make it intense and exciting. But the Demon of Despair, Ashes, has finally made its' debut. And yes, the demon is an 'it' currently. It might take a gender some other time, who knows? Mind you, I might call it a 'he' at some points in this, so if you see those typos, please ignore them. And the Despair Curse powers was something I wanted to get creative with. I basically went to Google Translate to find the names and translate them in Latin. Mind you, I looked at each word, not the words put together, but here's a list of what I wanted each Curse attack to mean:**

 **-"Ictus Ater": Malicious Strike or Dark Slash**

 **-"Radio Tristis": Sorrowful Beam**

 **-"Crepitus Negans": Negative Explosion**

 **-"Spatium Despero": Despair Space**

 **-"Statuam Cinis": Ash Statue**

 **But what did you think of the setup of the character itself? Did this leave you hungry for more questions on why Palva had a demon insider her? What caused her ancestor to enrage Zeref? And who was the voice that helped Palva rise back up again? So many questions, and I am holding myself back to telling them right off the bat. And ending with a joyful conclusion, with Palva now freed from the curse, and free to use her flames however she wants. And I had to give her the brother/sister relationship with Natsu, similar to Luffy and Ace in One Piece.**

 **Now we enter into the next arc; the Tower of Heaven arc. Trust me, I have plans for each of my characters to fill into this story. It will end with a huge game changer, plus a little backstory on a couple of the characters as well. Will the team be able to tackle the challenge that awaits at the Tower of Heaven? Will they be able to save Erza from her tragic past? Leave a review, like it, tell your friends, and await for the approaching arc!**


	14. Target: Erza! Friends, Old vs New!

"YAHOO!" Lucy cheered with joy. Dressed in her white bikini, she was wave-boarding, pulled along by a large, yet fast fish. On the board itself was Natsu, who was wearing swimming trunks and his scarf became a headband. He was also bulging at the cheeks from motion sickness as he begged, "Get me off this thing!"

"This was your idea in the first place." Lucy pointed out, finding it hard to be sympathetic to the Dragon Slayer.

"Why didn't you try what I'm doin'?!" Palva asked, who was racing alongside them. She was in a pink and black-stripped, one-piece swimsuit, and she was riding on her lance like it was a witch's broom. The dragon fang was pointed behind her, where it was unleashing a jet of flames that propelled it across the water.

"Taste my Fire Dragon's Jet Lance!" she shouted, climbing up the top of the wave, performing a spinning trick, then sliding back down the wave next to the pair.

"I didn't know you could do that with your lance!" Lucy pointed out excitedly, "But wouldn't it act like a vehicle, too?"

"It's probably due to bonding with it for so long, or maybe the dragon fang, but I never feel nauseated when riding it." Palva stated with a grin, "And I can guarantee it's way faster than that fish!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Lucy demanded, hearing a declaration for a race, and the two took off across the water as fast as they could, with poor Natsu hanging onto Lucy's board and his stomach for dear life.

On the shores of the beach, a crystalized beach net was formed as Erza and Leon were on one side, and Dori and Gray were on the other side. They were playing a powerful round of volleyball, while Pastry was refereeing, and Happy was just dancing on the hot sand. While Gray and Leon were in their swimming trunks, light blue and navy blue respectively, the two young ladies were showing off their well-endowed figures with their two-piece bikinis, with Erza in black and Dori in purplish-red.

"Comin' at ya!" Leon roared, spiking the ball over the net.

"Gray!" Dori shouted, making a leaping dive as she bopped the ball back up into the air again.

"Yeah!" the Ice-Make mage shouted, spiking the ball right back over the net. Erza tried to catch it, but she missed and it hit the ground, scoring a point for the opponents.

"Aw, yeah!" Gray cheered as Dori got back up, tightening her bikini straps after her slide. She looked to one side, seeing Palva and Lucy racing, seeing the joyous grin on her face. It had been so long since she had seen such an expression on her sister's face, that it felt so nice to see.

"Dori!" Erza shouted. The crystal mage turned in time to see the volleyball slam headlong into her face, causing her to fall back.

Leon, who served the ball, held his stance as he gave a sweat-dropped expression. "Whoops." he muttered.

"You okay?" Pastry asked as she rose back up.

"Yeah. Sorry about that." Dori answered, looking towards where the rest of their team was, "Just noticing the laughter my sister is displaying."

Leon, Erza, Gray and the cats all watched as Lucy and Palva slowed down to a crawl, laughing eagerly at one another, while Natsu was close to barfing. "Couldn't agree more on that part." Leon agreed with Dori's statement.

"After what we witnessed before with Ashes, it's good to see her laughing with joy, right now." Erza stated.

"She truly needs this kind of vacation." Pastry stated, "We all do, in fact. No more runnin' unless we're racin' one another!" Dori nodded in agreement, and looked to the massive resort building next to them.

 _'Akane Resort. A beautiful seaside resort filled with everything needed to have fun, whether you are a kid or an adult. According to the guidebook, it's one of the most popular tourist attractions in the kingdom, featuring a 5-star hotel, amusement part, a casino, and a beach with everything you can imagine. And thanks to Loke, who was really a Celestial Spirit, Leo the Lion, we all got tickets to enjoy our time in this resort.'_

The Fairy Tail members all gathered together once more to do all kinds of activities in this resort, from running along the beach in a race, to building sand castles and burying one another in the sand, to riding on rubber rafts along the water, to Natsu and Palva even having a competition to see who could hold their breath the longest. Natsu managed to barely scrape out a win in the last thing. They even did some watermelon snatching, although Natsu tricked Lucy into hitting a muscular guy instead.

"Ah, this is so nice!" Dori sighed as she and Erza decided to rest on beach chairs, the former with her eyes closed and a crystal mirror for tanning.

"Yes. We do need this kind of rest after everything we've been through." Erza stated.

Dori opened eye as she amusedly added, "Now if only the rabble behind us wasn't so loud, I could enjoy this more." She was speaking to the rest of the group behind them, with Natsu somehow snatching Gray's trunks off of him, and the latter using Happy to cover up his privates to the public.

"Give me back my bathing suit!" Gray demanded as Happy looked disgusted in his position.

"No way, man!" Natsu barked back, waving his trunks away from him.

"My eyes!" Palva screeched as she and Lucy looked the other way.

"He's a cat, not a coverup!" Pastry barked at Gray.

"Natsu, just give him back his swimming trunks." Leon glared.

Just then, Palva's nose picked up something, and she looked towards the palm trees, where she saw a familiar face. Knowing who it was, she turned to Lucy and said, "I'm gonna go and get a snow cone. Be right back."

"Okay." Lucy answered, and Palva ran off towards one direction, but was really making a roundabout route towards the person she saw.

Hidden behind a palm tree, someone was watching the Fairy Tail members, mainly Gray. A certain rain woman, wearing now a blue and light blue polka-dotted bikini. "My beloved Gray." she swooned, "What a hunk!"

"I thought it was you." Palva spoke up, startling the woman and turning to see her standing there, "Long time no see, Juvia."

Juvia was quite startled at the sight of Palva, and stammered, "H-How did you know where I was watching?!"

"I can tell by your scent." the Dragon Slayer answered, rubbing her nose, "Despite the rain the last time we met, I was able to get your smell to memory."

"I-I see…" she muttered, "Just like Gajeel, huh?" She looked a bit nervous, twiddling her thumbs.

"So…you were set free from the Magic Council?" Palva asked, finding the situation a bit on the awkward side.

"Yes. With Phantom Lord guild disbanded, I really had nowhere else to go." Juvia answered.

"So you decided to stalk us, instead, huh?" Palva questioned, then recalling their last battle with one another, she added, "Or rather, are you stalking Gray?"

"I can't help it!" Juvia stated with hearts floating off of her, "The first time we met, it was almost like love at first sight! 'sigh' What I wouldn't give to be in the place of that cat."

"That's just disturbing and gagging at the same time." Palva muttered with a sweat-dropped expression.

"WHY?! ARE YOU AFTER MY BELOVED, TOO?!" the obsessed woman demanded in the tone of a yandere.

"Hell no!" Palva barked back, frightening Juvia into submission. The sudden change surprised the little Dragon Slayer.

"S-Sorry." she replied fearfully, "I forgot you were not interested in my beloved Gray. Forgive me!"

Seeing this fear reminded Palva of their past endeavor, along with what Gray told her what happened when she was 'out of her mind fighting'. It dawned upon her that the whole experience might've caused Juvia some fear towards Palva and her magic. Fear that she regrets a whole lot.

Palva bowed her head in shame, and muttered, "Sorry. I guess I frighten you, don't I?" Juvia looked at her, worried she might've hurt her feeling.

"I-I know you didn't mean to and all…" Juvia retorted, "But, it was a bit scary…"

"But you don't have to worry anymore!" Palva assured her, "I learned to control my flames better than before, thanks to Natsu. The whole thing is complicated to explain, but look; I'm not even holding my lance. That's proof of it."

"Really?" Juvia asked. Palva nodded in response, smiling at her.

"I'm really sorry I scared you back then." she apologized, "I promise you, I won't burn you with my flames. Let's start things over again, okay? As friends."

Juvia looked at Palva, touched by her words. She wanted to have a second chance with Juvia. She wanted to be friends with her, not enemies. Even after everything they did to one another, the little Dragon Slayer was wanting to start over again.

"I mean, I guess if you want to." Juvia muttered, "I wouldn't mind being friends with you, too."

"Great!" Palva stated eagerly, "Oh, by the way, I think we're gonna be heading to the casino tonight. Meet me in there, and I'll get you some alone time with Gray."

Juvia became very flushed in the face at the two words that came out of her mouth. "A-A-Alone time?!" she stammered. Palva nodded in response, smiling.

"Hey, where's Palva?" the two heard Dori ask the other mages of her guild.

"She said she was gonna get a snow cone." Lucy answered, "It's been a while. Wonder what's taking so long?"

"Guess that's my cue to head back." Palva understood, turning to Juvia, "I'll see you later tonight!" She waved as she raced back to her friends, calling to them and telling them she was having a tough time choosing what flavor to get, and ended up eating a few of them on the way back.

Juvia watched as she giggled in embarrassment at the others critics at taking too long. She couldn't help but smile at the change from when she saw her before and now. _'She really is a kind soul.'_ she told herself, _'I regret ever targeting her or stating she was my love rival.'_

* * *

Later on that day, at twilight, Dori and Erza were alone in the hotel room they purchased with the tickets. Erza was still in her bikini, laying in a beach chair on the patio, looking out into the sunset. Dori had just come out of the shower, washing off all the seawater from her, and got into some dressier clothing for the casino. What she wore was a long, dark red gown adorned with silver sparkles. It hugged her figure, revealing a couple inches of cleavage, with a triangular cut up her left leg, showing her Fairy Tail mark. She also wore a pink hibiscus as a hair ornament, and tied her hair into a ponytail.

"I never, ever would imagine wearing one of these dresses before." Dori muttered, examining herself in the mirror. She then continued to talk to herself in her mind as she followed, ' _I've been fighting, training and studying so much in my life, I pretty much forgotten what it was like having a normal life. Now that I don't have to constantly worry about my little sister, where do I have left to go? What is my path in life? I keep asking myself that before, but now…I'm not too sure.'_

She looked to Erza on the patio, continuing, _'Being in Fairy Tail is amazing and all, but is my path more than that? Can I be more than just a mage? More than just a sister? Wonder if I should talk about this with Erza?'_

As she approached the scarlet-haired mage, she noticed something was off about her. Her face was contorting a bit, drops of sweat her forming from her forehead, and she looked scared. _'She's having a nightmare.'_ Dori realized, worried for her comrade, _'Better wake her up.'_

She reached down and shook Erza, calling softly, "Erza? Erza, wake up!" She was not responding quite yet. Dori shook more vigorously as she barked, "Erza, snap out of it!"

Erza's eyes snapped open, gasping in shock. She panted as the Crystal mage stepped back. "Finally, you woke up." she said, getting Erza's attention.

"Dori!" Erza stammered, surprised to see her there.

"You looked like you were having a terrible nightmare." Dori told her, "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah." she answered, trying to calm herself down. She looked down at her wrists, flipping them over. "I must've fallen asleep without realizing it."

"Want me to get you something?" Dori asked as Erza stood up.

"No, but thank you." she replied, walking past her comrade as she went into the room. Dori wasn't sure that Erza was alright, but followed her as she stopped in front of the mirror. She examined herself, kinda pulling a bit of a girly position as she held her hands to the bangs near her shoulders.

"You gotta admit, your figure is breath-taking." Dori stated, getting her attention.

"As if your figure isn't something to scoff at." Erza replied, "I bet you get some boy's attention with it."

"Yeah, well, it's hard to find a good guy when you've been running away from people your whole life." Dori answered, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot." Erza remembered, feeling guilty she ever said that, "Sorry I mentioned that."

"Don't be." Dori answered, walking right next to her and looking at the mirror, "After all, it's gonna be a new experience for me. I've got a chance at a normal life, but I don't know where to begin. Working at a guild, making new friends, possibly finding a guy. All those normal things are just alien to me. Still, I'll be glad to have people like you around to help me learn how to adapt."

Erza kinda understood that. Looking back at the mirror, she concentrated, and used her Requip magic, reverting to her Heart Kreuz Armor. "I know the feeling of things that others consider normal to feel uncomfortable to me." she assured Dori, "I always feel more at ease wearing armor. Although, as a wardrobe choice, it's not the most feminine."

"Guess you do have that warrior spirit about you." Dori agreed, waving to her attire, "And wearing something this dressy is just too weird. Gotta say, we're more alike than just our hair color, right?" Erza smiled and chuckled under her breath. Truly, they were two birds of a feather.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and the two turned to see Lucy standing there, wearing a gown the same dark red color as Dori. "Hey, you two. Get out of the room and have some fun with us." she told them, "Natsu, Palva and the others have already made their way downstairs, saying they want to win some games."

"Oh, that's right. There's a casino here." Erza recalled.

"I was just getting ready for it." Dori assured Lucy, then to Erza, "Maybe you should put on something a little less combat ready than that."

"I suppose. In that case…" Erza muttered, and she used Requip again, replacing her armor with a gown similar to the girls, purple with rose patterns, with pink gloves, her hair tied up into a bun.

"Is this good enough?" Erza asked.

"Um…maybe a little on the glitzy side, but whatever." Lucy muttered in a bemused tone.

"Well, I for one think that looks really nice." Dori assured her, "Come on, let's go downstairs. I hope the boys haven't convinced Palva to gamble. She's too young for that."

As Dori passed her, Erza looked at herself in the mirror again. _'I guess it's okay to relax every once in a while.'_ she thought to herself, smiling at her look. She then followed the two girls out of the room, closing the door behind.

* * *

The casino down below was extravagant. There were so many things down there, from slots, to roulette, to bucking bronco, to the roller coaster that ran in and out of the hotel.

The Fairy Tail mages were all split apart in the casino. Lucy, Erza and Dori were down in the Blackjack tables. Natsu and Happy went to a roulette-styled game. Gray went off to the poker tables, while Palva told him he was gonna get something for him, and ran off. Leon didn't favor gambling, so he went outside to the beach to train, with Pastry at his side.

"HRAH!" Leon swung his sword, doing this several times over.

"Can't you just go inside and at least WATCH one of the guys or gals play?" Pastry asked, "You really can't just settle down, can you?"

"I don't really feel like gambling is my thing. Too distracting, whether I'm playing or watching." Leon answered, continuing his sword swings as he spoke. He stopped and looked up at the building as he added, "Besides, this place…I don't know what it is, but it just gives me a nostalgic feeling. Like I need to practice in order to become better."

"Better?" Pastry echoed, confused.

"I think…maybe better than someone from my past?" Leon asked, "I don't know."

 _'So a rival, huh?'_ Pastry pondered, looking at the castle, _'Knowing his past, I can think what this all means. His memories may not know, but his sub-conscious does. Oh well, I guess I can't stop him. Let's just enjoy the night, however way we can.'_

* * *

"17! COME ON!" Natsu cheered, pounding the said number button as he looked at the globe, watching the swirling numbers on the balls within. "Don't be mean, 17!" Happy added.

On the part of the globe in front of him, five magic circles in an X-formation were showing random numbers. Two numbers on opposite ends didn't have the numbers he was looking for. The other two ends showed 17. Now was for the center number, and it was going towards 17 as well. At first, Natsu and Happy cheered that they won, but then the number changed to 16 on the last second, causing their hopes to fall.

"Sir, please don't hit the machine." a worker told Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer turned with waterfall tears as he argued, "But it acted like it was gonna give me my number! It's not fair!" "17!" Happy barked angrily.

"Crying won't help, sir…" the worker sighed.

Nearby, Gray was playing poker while hearing the complaining mages with a sweat-dropped expression. "Man, they are such sore losers…" he muttered.

"Hey, Gray!" he heard Palva's voice, and he turned to see her approach him, wearing a casual pink dress with a ribbon tied around the waist. She was also accompanied by, to Gray's surprise, Juvia, who wore a dark blue dress that hugged her figure, and had a golden Fairy Tail emblem for a pendant.

"Look who I found for you!" Palva said, waving a hand to her.

"Hello, Gray, my darling." Juvia greeted, "I'm Juvia. Do you remember me?"

"Yeah! You're that Phantom chick!" Gray realized, looking cautiously surprised.

"Relax! She's not our enemy anymore!" Palva defended, "We reconciled, so you should be at ease." Gray looked to her, then to Juvia, who looked a bit nervous from his defensive state against her.

"Okay, now that that's settled, I'll let you two be." Palva told them, "I wanna go and see what there is for me to play."

"Wait, what?!" Gray barked, surprised as she left.

"I promised her that you two can be alone together. I'm sure you'll be fine. We're in a public place. What could happen?" And with that, Palva departed, leaving a flustered Gray and Juvia alone.

* * *

Back at the magic roulette machine, Natsu was still pouting that he didn't get the number he was looking for, while the worker was trying to reason with him.

"Cool your jets, boy." said a gravely voice from behind. Natsu and Happy turned to see someone sitting on a stool near a slot machine. He wore a royal blue suit with a red tie, a white scarf loosely around his neck, a boater hat, and sunglasses. However, what made this guy's appearance strangest of all was his body. Sure it was average, but it also looked like it was made out of geometric shapes, not one piece on him was curved.

"Either play nice, like the rest of the grown-ups, or hit the bricks, you get me?" the guy spoke like he was some sort of gangster.

"Square?!" "Blockhead?!" Happy and Natsu exclaimed the description of this guy's body.

"Now, I'm gonna give ya some friendly advice, pal." the guy started, "In life, you got one or two paths to take…" He suddenly glowed, and suddenly, the lower half of his body transformed into groups of blocks that came at Natsu, carrying him into the air by the arms, and pinning him to the glass globe.

"What's the big idea?!" Natsu demanded, struggling against the blocks. "Natsu!" Happy cried in fear.

"Either you can live a dandy life…" the man started, raising a pointed finger, which after a glow of magic, transformed into a large gun, "…Or die a jealous poser, see?" He grinned as a targeting laser on the top of the gun glowed, aiming at a terrified Natsu's forehead.

* * *

Meanwhile, Palva was walking about, looking at the people and the gambling. It felt really weird for her to act this…casual. She had been so cautious all her life, that now that she was free from the curse of her flames that Ashes had her in, the term 'casual' felt alien to her.

"There's not much for me to do around here." she muttered, "I'm too young for the gambling…" She heard screaming, and looked up to see the roller coaster pass overhead. She felt nauseated as she finished, "…And that just makes me wanna hurl, bad!" Her cheeks bulged, and she bent down, holding in her lunch.

"Nya! Are you doing okay, little girl?" a young female voice asked. Palva looked up, and saw a girl the same age as his sister, and had a cat-like appearance to her. She had cat-like eyes, nose and mouth, brown hair styled into cat ears, tied into two ponytails, and red markings on her cheeks that resembled whiskers. She wore a cleavage-revealing pink dress, with a white ribbon and blue cat prints under a yellow and black-trimmed jacket, a light pink ruffled skirt, white leggings, black boots, and a purple choker with a bell on it.

 _'What's with the cat motif?'_ Palva questioned when looking at her, then she followed, "Uh, nothing. Just seeing that roller coaster ride made me a bit sick in the stomach. Not a big fan of rides like that."

"Oh, we can't have that." the girl chimed, reaching down with a helping hand, "Don't worry. I know a perfect ride for you."

"Really?" she asked, confused.

"Sure! It'll make you die from joy!" the cat girl chimed, and a magic circle appeared from her helping hand, and Palva saw a winding orange rope come out, shocking her. Within seconds, she found herself bound from head to foot in the rope, unable to move.

"What…are you…doing?!" Palva moaned, struggling against the binds. She tried using her flames to burn them off, but for some reason, she couldn't activate her flames. _'What the…I can't use my Dragon Slayer magic!'_ She looked to the cat girl in front of her, who gave a grin and a stern expression, pleased at her struggle.

* * *

Back with who Palva left behind, Juvia and Gray decided to take a break from gambling, and went to the bar to have a drink together, and talk about things.

"I heard Phantom was disbanded afterward." Gray started.

"Yes. But now I'm a free mage, and I can join any guild I want!" Juvia said gleefully. Gray didn't need to be a psychic to guess which guild she wanted to be part of, especially since she was bearing the emblem of his guild on her pendant.

"So I am right to say you want to join Fairy Tail?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes! Very much so!" Juvia answered in a hopeful manner.

"I dunno. After everything that just went down some time ago…" Gray muttered, reminding her of their last battle, "I mean, I don't personally mind, and I can see Palva wouldn't mind, either. But I wonder what the Master has to say about this though."

"I will do anything!" Juvia declared joyfully, insisting on joining the guild.

"I wouldn't say that so easily if I were you…" Gray warned her.

Just then, he heard someone say, "Gray Fullbuster." He turned in time to see someone with a tall, muscular man with a white turban, an eyepatch and a steel jaw, before he created a magic circle, and all of a sudden, there was an explosion that destroyed the bar.

When it died down, Juvia looked like she took a bad hit from the blast, while Gray seemed unscathed. "Juvia!" he cried, seeing her in pain. He looked up at the man with a glare. Now that he got a good look at him, he could see the guy had a muscular body, only hidden by a light blue and white-trimmed cloth with black, axe-like motifs on it, going from his left shoulder to his lower waist, a single, dark green and white-striped sleeve on his left arm, a white sash on his waist that tucked in the cloth, loose dark pants, and light ankle-high boots.

"Jerk, what do you think you're doing?!" Gray demanded with a warning glare.

The man didn't answer, but instead gave a question that he and the two that had Natsu and Palva in a bind asked.

" **Where is Erza?** "

"Come on. Sing!" the blocky man ordered Natsu, holding him at gunpoint.

"I know you know where she is." the girl binding Palva added.

"What?!" Gray questioned, wondering why the man before him would want Erza.

* * *

Down below, Dori, Lucy and Erza heard the sound of outcries and explosions. "What's going on?" Erza asked.

"I guess it's about time the parade begins." a guy dressed as a mascot answered.

"I guess that makes sense." Lucy understood, with Erza making a sound of agreement.

Dori, on the other hand, knew the sound too well, and narrowed her eyes. _'That was no celebratory noises. Sounds like a commotion.'_ she summed up in her thoughts, _'I hope the others aren't getting into trouble up there.'_

"Oh, wow! You got a straight!" Lucy exclaimed, and Dori looked back, seeing that Erza had indeed gained a straight, from a ten to an ace.

"Looks like today is my lucky day." Erza stated with confidence.

"Don't say stuff like that, or else you'll ruin your luck." the Crystal mage warned her.

Just then, someone from behind the current dealer called a dealer change, and so they swapped. Dori saw the dealer, who was a dark-skinned young man, with spiky blonde hair and a suit the same as the dealer; a white shirt over a black vest and pants. For some reason, she could feel magic energy prepping from him, and she grew even more cautious.

"Don't worry about that, Dori. I have a feeling that I won't lose, no matter who the opponent is." Erza stated, still confident from her consistent wins.

"Oh, yeah?" Lucy asked with a wink.

"If that's the case, how about we play a special game?" the dealer asked, and he tossed out five cards to Erza. Puzzled, she looked down at the cards, and they perfectly spelled out the word 'DEATH'.

"While we're at it, let's increase the stakes of the game, big sis Erza." the dealer asked. Erza got a good look at him, and her eyes went into shock.

"It can't be…" she muttered, "Sho. Is that you?"

"So you do remember me?" the boy called Sho stated. Erza was too amazed for words at the sight of him.

"Do you know him?" Lucy asked Erza. "Big sis?" Dori questioned also looking to Erza.

"You were… safe?" Erza asked. "Safe?" Sho echoed back.

"Uh…I mean…" Erza tried to correct her question, but she was too startled for words.

"You okay?" Lucy asked her.

"Lucy, stay sharp." Dori warned her, "He's ready to do something…" Lucy looked to her, then back at Erza, then at Sho. There was just too much happening at this moment.

* * *

"Now, where is she?" the muscular man confronting Gray asked again.

"You'd think I tell you, huh?" the Ice mage retorted harshly.

Just then, water came in from all around, forming in front of Gray as Juvia. "I will not allow you to lay a finger on my beloved Gray!" she warned their mysterious attacker, "You will have to go through me, first!"

"Juvia…" Gray muttered, seeing her dedication to protecting him.

"Erza is in danger." Juvia told him.

"Sure seems that way." Gray agreed, looking at the man before them.

Just then, the man sensed something, and placed two fingers to his temple. After a couple seconds, he said, "Ah. You already found her?" he asked someone no one heard or saw, "Yes, I see. So I should clean things up here. Understood."

Juvia and Gray were startled that they found Erza, but were even more startled when the man's eye turned red, and all of a sudden, everything went dark around them. They could barely see an inch ahead of them.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?!" Gray questioned, trying to see through the dark.

"It's Dark Lineage Magic." the man answered, disappearing and reappearing behind them, " **Dark Moment.** " The two mages were petrified as they felt a presence behind them, as the man readied a magic spell.

* * *

"What gives?! I can't see or use my magic!" Palva barked, struggling against her binds.

"Seems like Simon is working his magic." the girl chuckled, "Now, what to do with you…" She heard an oncoming roller coaster approaching them, and chimed, "Oh, I know! I'll just kill you from motion sickness!" Palva seemed scared at the thought what she was planning.

* * *

"Hey, what gives?! I can't see a thing!" Natsu demanded, looking about in the pitch-darkness as he was still pinned to the glass globe.

"Where are you, Natsu?!" Happy called out to him, despite how close he was to him.

"I'm right here… wherever here is!" Natsu barked back.

The block man wasn't hesitating, as he still had a lock onto Natsu with his laser. Grinning, he said, "Good night, boy."

"Don't screw with me, you…!" Natsu roared with his mouth open wide. There was a gunshot, and Natsu screaming. "Natsu!" Happy cried, seeing the flash where the gun was fired.

* * *

Outside the casino, Leon stopped training at the sound of the gunshot. "What the hell?!" he demanded.

"Did someone fire a gun in there?!" Pastry demanded. The two looked to one another, nodded in understanding, and rushed in, knowing that they needed to see the issue inside.

* * *

Down below, the three girls at the poker table heard the gunshot through the darkness.

"A gunshot?!" Lucy gasped. "What's going on?!" Erza demanded.

"The magic is making it hard to see." Dori stated, looking about.

Suddenly, the lights went back on, and they were blinded by the sudden illumination. Next thing they noticed was that Sho vanished from view. "Where did he go?" Erza asked.

"Everyone else vanished as well!" Dori added, noticing the vacancy of the room.

"I'm right here, sister!" Sho's voice spoke from behind, and the trio turned to see him spilling cards from his hands, along with the sounds of distorted screams.

"That is!" Erza gasped. "There are people within the cards!" Lucy said in shock.

"He uses Magic Cards!" Dori realized, looking at the dark-skinned man before them, "That's Card Dimension! I've seen it used once before."

"Aren't you clever?" Sho asked, raising a card that had the man dressed as a mascot.

"You can use magic?!" Erza asked in shock, her tone stating she didn't know he could do it before.

"That's right. I'm now also capable of such things, sis." Sho sneered at her.

"But who taught you that?!" Erza demanded. Sho only smirked in response.

"Nya~!" mewed a second voice. Two magic circles appeared beneath Lucy and Dori. While the latter escaped the circle, Lucy ended up getting bound from head to foot with orange rope, restraining her arms above her head.

"Lucy!" Erza gasped in horror. "That was too close!" Dori stated, fortunate for her safety.

"Aw, I only caught one." chimed the voice, and the girl who got Palva before now was sitting on the poker table behind Lucy, "Well, aren't you all rosy?"

"Milliana…!" Erza recognized the second figure, "You know how to use magic as well?!"

"It's been a while, Erzy-Werzy." the girl called Millianna greeted the scarlet swordswoman.

 _'Another person Erza knows?'_ Dori noticed, _'What's going on?!'_

"Please, you have to let Lucy go!" Erza demanded, "It's okay! She's a friend!"

"Nya! Friends?" Millianna echoed quizzically.

"We were friends once." Sho reminded her, "Or don't you remember that, sister?"

 _'They were friends?'_ Both Lucy and Dori wondered. hesitant at this point, that it looked out of character for her.

"Uh… Yeah…" Erza agreed to Sho's question. She looked so hesitant at this point, that it looked out of character for her.

"Yes, you were." Sho sneered, "That is, until you decided to betray us!" Erza gritted her teeth at this statement.

Dori stomped the floor, creating a magic circle that drew the group's attention. " **Crystal Saber**!" Dori chanted, summoning a crystal plinth with a sword in it. She grabbed ahold of it, pulling it out of the plinth. "I don't know what the hell you guys are talking about, or what your current relationship with Erza is." the crystal mage sneered, "But you guys are crossing one too many lines by hurting civilians and my friends. I'll stop you, right now!"

She was starting to charge forward when she saw a red laser hit her forehead. She then heard a gunshot, and took a step back as the block-shaped bullet flew in front of her face. "A gun!" she gasped.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, doll!" said a gravely voice, "And Sho, why don't you cut the dame a little slack." There was a pixilation of magic, and the block man who got Natsu reappeared with a draped around Sho's shoulders. "Keep your emotions in check, and everything will be real dandy." he finished.

"What a blockhead!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Magic changed his body structure." Dori noticed, "Was he the gunner?"

"Very nice. Life on the outside has been good to ya, eh, doll?" the man spoke to Erza.

"W-Wait a minute…Wally?!" Erza asked in shock.

"I've gone through a couple of changes, myself." the man called Wally said with a tip of his hat, "Ol' Mad Dog Wally you use to grow up with has seen a lot since the old days. Ya see, I'm much smoother now." Lucy groaned at the pun he gave.

 _'So that makes three people Erza recognized.'_ Dori understood, _'However, based on that darkness before, there must be a magic user with a Darkness magic. None of these guys have that capability. Meaning there is one more!'_

"So you practice magic, too?" Erza asked Wally.

"Why are you so surprised?" as if cuing Dori's prediction, the muscular man that took out Gray and Juvia appeared from shadows behind Erza, "It's not that hard once you get use to it. Of course, you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Simon!" Erza gasped, turning and stepping away from the final person.

"I take it you're the one who killed the lights before, right?" Dori asked, readying herself for anything as she positioned the saber in her hand.

"Very observant of you. Of course, I wouldn't expect less from someone of your wits and caliber, Dori Himeka." the man called Simon addressed her, startling her from being recognized.

Millianna pushed Lucy to the ground, the magic rope binding her pulling in her arms held above her head towards her bound feet. "Erza, who are these guys?!" she demanded, "Why are they calling you, 'sister'?!" Dori, too, wanted to know this question as well.

Erza looked to one side as the four gathered together, then she answered, "I'm actually not their sister, but we were friends in the past."

"You're friends?" Dori echoed. "But haven't you been in Fairy Tail since you were really young?!" Lucy questioned.

"This took place before that." Erza explained, turning to the four 'friends', "Why did you find me? What do you want?!"

"Really wanna know?" Millianna replied.

"We're here to take you back with us." Wally answered.

"I'm begging you! Please release Lucy!" Erza pleaded.

"Instead of that, should we go home now, sister?" Sho suggested, deflecting her plea.

"Listen, babe. Don't make this get ugly." Wally warned her, transforming his arm into a gun, pointing it at Lucy.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Erza begged.

" **Crystal Cataclysm!** " Dori roared, stabbing her blade into the ground to make a magic circle, and unleashing a wave of sharp crystals at the four enemies. They all leapt out of the way, putting distance away from Erza and Lucy.

"Dori!" Erza gasped, looking towards her.

"Bad move, babe!" Wally retorted, and his arm suddenly vanished in pixilated light. At the same time, Simon cast another magic circle as he called out, " **Dark Moment!** " The lights went out, but Dori's senses were on high.

Without fail, she did a side jump as a gun fired from behind her, narrowly hitting her. She then detected another magic circle as Millianna unleashed a spiraling tube towards her. At the same time, Sho unleashed several magic cards like throwing knives, going along with the tube. Dori twisted around and slashed with her saber, cutting the two attacks short before they struck her.

 _'They obviously haven't thought of hiding away their position!'_ Dori pondered as, with a free hand, she unleashed her Crystal Barrage, sending a storm of crystal shards down at where the attack came from. Erza's former friends grunted in pain from the shards striking them. This also caused the Dark Moment magic to lift, causing Erza and Lucy to see the situation behind the crystal formed from Dori's first attack.

"Dori, stop it!" Erza called out, "I don't want you to…!"

"Erza, your opinion doesn't matter here!" the crystal mage retorted, startling Erza at the glare she was giving, "You may have seen them as friends, but they didn't come here as ones. They came to endanger the lives of my friends, so I will stop them!" Erza was torn apart, seeing people she was once friends with fighting with the most recent friends she gained.

"This girl was able to cut our attacks, even in Simon's Dark Moment?" Sho questioned in shock.

"Nya! She's really something else!" Millianna exclaimed.

"Her level of magic is far higher than what we can deal with." Simon warned the group, "Let's finish what we came her for. Wally?"

"On it!" the block man answered, creating another gun with his arm, and making it vanish.

"You can't fool me twice!" Dori retorted, readying herself.

"No, stop!" Erza pleaded to both sides. However, there was a gunshot, and she gasped in pain. Wally's gun didn't aim for Dori, but shot Erza in the back, using a magic circle as it did so.

"ERZA!" Lucy and Dori exclaimed in horror.

Simon quickly disappeared and reappeared, catching Erza as she fell, and picking her up in his arms. "We got what we came for." he said, "Let's go."

Dori's hair wavered from the increase magic energy she was emanating as she sneered, "How can you just do that to someone you considered a sister?!"

"Relax, doll. That was a tranquilizer shot." Wally assured her, "And if you want it to not be anythin' worse, to her or your friend, I'd suggest to stay still, got it?" Dori gritted her teeth, not sure if he was bluffing or not.

"Hold it!" Lucy cried out as she struggled in her binds, "Where are you taking Erza?! Give her back!"

"I'm not gonna let you get away with this, one bit!" Dori barked at them, "We have friends up above who'll make sure you guys are blown down to the ground!"

"Sorry, tuts, but those geeks are gonna be lickin' pavement for a while, you get me?" Wally retorted, surprising the two.

"Those three were nothing but talk." Simon said, walking around the Crystal Cataclysm to his comrades.

The thought of Natsu, Gray and Palva being defeated by these guys was hard to believe. And yet, the trio showed no sign of descending towards their position. If they weren't able to come, then that could mean what they were saying was the truth.

"No…that's not possible!" Lucy gasped.

Dori snapped. Hurting her comrades was one thing, but hurting her sister was a whole different level. "YOU'LL PAY!" she roared, unleashing her Second Origin. " **Crystal Lock!** " she roared, the intensity of her powers unleashing a sheet of crystal along the floor, reaching the four and starting to cover their bodies.

All four of them were in shock as Wally called, "Simon, get us outta here! This gal's gonna stop us!" In a panic, Simon produced a magic circle above their heads, and all four of them and Erza vanished before their eyes before the crystal consumed them.

"Erza, no!" Lucy cried out, struggling through her restraints. "Dammit all!" Dori growled, restraining her magic again, seeing as unleashing it right now would be pointless.

* * *

Out at sea, the four 'friends' of Erza reappeared on the deck of a large boat. Apart from Simon, the other three were sweating from what they just experienced.

"She…was so powerful…" Sho stammered, "What kind of level of magic was that?!"

"She was super terrifying, nya!" Millianna added, her hair standing on ends from that near death experience.

"True that. If we didn't escape in the nic of time, we'd be six-feet under, ya got me?" Wally pointed out, wiping his forehead.

"Then there's no time for dilly-dallying here." Simon told the others, "We must make haste if we are to escape Dori Himeka's reach. We got Erza, so we must restrain her magic, as well. Millianna, bind her." The trio managed to calm themselves enough to get their senses back. Millianna used her magic to produce a small bit of tubing to bind Erza's wrists together.

"By the way, Millianna. I scored a little somethin' for ya." Wally spoke up, getting her attention. He raised his hands, and from pixilated lights, he produced Happy, fast asleep, also hit by a tranquilizer shot.

"AAH! A kitty of my very own!" the cat girl exclaimed, taking Happy out of his arms and dancing with joy all about the ship.

As Sho past Erza, who was barely regaining conscious, he looked back at her with tears flowing down his eyes as he said, "Sister, I can't believe you're coming home; The Tower of Heaven."

 _'The Tower of Heaven?'_ Erza pondered as Simon walked with her, taking her below deck, _'They actually finished constructing it?'_ She couldn't do anything as her consciousness faded, and she blacked out.

* * *

Back in the casino, Leon and Pastry looked about, seeing the place was completely deserted. "Where did everyone go?!" Pastry demanded.

"I don't know. And I got a bad feeling about all of this." he muttered, cautiously looking about. By the looks of it, most of the damage came from the bar and the magic roulette machine.

However, before he could go to those, he heard a scream that sounded like a mixture of panic and queasiness. It was mixed in with the sound of an approaching roller coaster above them. Looking up, they saw the coaster pass by. However, looking closely, both guys were in shock to see none other than Palva, bound by orange ropes, looking like the motion sickness she was feeling was too much to bear.

"It's Palva!" Leon gasped. "What the heck is she doing on that roller coaster?!" Pastry demanded. The roller coaster went back outside again, Palva lurching badly with it.

* * *

Down below, Dori raced over and started cutting off the bindings on Lucy. "This is bad! What do we do?!" Lucy questioned, worried for Erza and the others.

"First of all, we're not gonna panic!" Dori answered, finally freeing her of her binds, giving her a chance to stand up once more, "Secondly, we should go find the others. I know those guy's magic was good, but not good enough to kill our friends that easily. If I hadn't overreacted, I would've realized it. Now they've escaped, with Erza in tow. I'm sorry…"

"Don't blame yourself! You were doing what you can to stop them." Lucy assured her, looking at the magic card on the ground with people on them, "But what can we do about them."

"For now, we can leave them for the authorities to take care of." Dori answered, "Let's head up top and see where everyone else is at." She nodded in agreement, and they raced upstairs to the upper part of the casino.

When they made it up, the first thing they heard was Pastry shouting, "Dori! Lucy!" The two looked up to see him descend towards them, with Leon standing on top of the roller coaster railings above.

"Pastry!" Lucy responded. "What's going on?" Dori demanded, "Why is Leon up there?"

"We don't know why, but Palva's riding on the roller coaster right now!" Pastry explained, "We think she might've been forced onto it, so he's gonna try to stop it!"

"Wait, what?!" Dori questioned in shock as she and Lucy looked up at Leon, who stood ready. He could hear the sound of the roller coaster gradually approaching his position.

" **Requip!** " he roared, and his arms and legs glowed, Requipping them in the Herculean God Armor gauntlets and greaves. He then gripped his feet to the railing as the roller coaster approached him, with Palva unconscious from the ride. He held out his gauntlets, and caught the coaster. He skidded back several meters, almost leaving the building. However, before that happened, the coaster came to a stop, with Palva's head lagging to one side. "Got her!" he stated, leaping over and grabbing Palva, pulling her from the seat, and leaping off the roaster as magic restarted it, and it took off.

"Great work, Leon!" Dori stated as he landed in front of the group.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Lucy asked as he laid her down, snapping Millianna's bindings on her with his bare hands.

"She should be fine, but she could've been a lot worse off if I hadn't stopped that ride." Leon answered, looking up at the two girls, "Speaking of which, what happened? Are you two okay? Where is everyone else?"

"We're okay, but we're not sure about everyone else." Dori answered.

"Some guys just came in and kidnapped Erza!" Lucy exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" "They took Erza?!" Pastry and Leon's reactions were understandable.

"We need to find the others and make sure they're okay!" Lucy told them, "They said they took them out, but that just can't be true!"

"And I think I see one of them over there." Pastry called out from above, pointing at the bar.

The four mages, with Leon carrying Palva, raced over to see Gray passed out among the rubble of the bar, his eyes blank.

"Gray!" Leon called out. "Oh, no!" Lucy gasped as she raced to him first, "Get ahold of yourself! Talk to me!" She touched his shoulder, and noticed, "He's cold!" She tried shaking him, but for some reason, he transformed into ice, and fell apart, causing Lucy to panic.

"Hold on! It's only a duplicate!" Dori assured Lucy as she was about to pick up the pieces.

"In that case, where's the real Gray?!" the Celestial mage asked her.

"There's no need to panic." said a female voice, and they all turned to see water rising up off the ground, taking the form of Juvia, crouching on all fours.

"I know you! You're one of the Element 4!" Lucy barked, stepping back, readying her keys.

"She's the chick who kidnapped Lucy and knocked me out!" Pastry added, gritting his teeth as he sneered, "I won't let you get away with that, you water witch!"

"I think I remember her being defeated by Palva and Gray." Leon recognized her as he and Dori looked cautious.

"Wait, Lucy!" called out a familiar voice, and Juvia raised herself up more, revealing Gray underneath her, rising from her watery body, and still in one piece.

"She's not our enemy anymore." the Ice mage assured the group.

"That's right. I pulled my precious Gray inside of me to keep him safe." Juvia explained.

"That sounds dirty on so many levels." Pastry muttered. "That does sound pretty weird…" Lucy added.

"Are you jealous that Gray was inside of me and not you?!" Juvia questioned Lucy with a sinister glare.

"Uh, not really, no." Lucy answered with a sweat-dropped expression.

"This dude cast a darkness spell, so I figured casting a decoy would distract him until my next plan of attack." Gray stated, unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off.

"I wanted to make sure my beloved Gray was safe, so I pulled him inside my Water Lock until the danger passed." Juvia followed up.

"Good thing. Guess we're glad you were here to help us when you did." Leon stated, though Pastry was not in the slightest bit relaxed around her.

It was then that Juvia noticed Palva in Leon's arms and asked, "Is Palva okay? She's not harmed, is she?"

"She should be fine." Dori assured her, "Someone bound her onto the roller coaster, so her motion sickness was overkill. I know it was that cat girl, Millianna, that did that to her. I'll make sure she pays dearly for that."

"Still, they got away." Gray told the group, looking to Juvia, "I couldn't do anything when I was in your Water Lock." The rain woman looked shocked and guilty for failing her beloved.

"Still, at least you two are okay." Dori stated, "Now all that's left is Natsu and Happy. I hope those two aren't in trouble."

"What about Erza?" Gray asked.

"Unfortunately, they took Erza away!" Lucy answered, worried for her and Natsu's safety.

Just then, the group saw a large amount of flames blow into the air, along with the sound of Natsu roaring. "Is that…?!" Lucy and Pastry started. "Natsu!" Dori and Gray finished.

Over at the broken roulette machine, Natsu was gasping as smoke came out of his mouth. "The nerve of that guy…" he weakly moaned.

"Natsu!" Gray and Lucy cried out as their group raced towards him. He turned to them as Dori asked, "What the heck happened to you?!"

"Hey, what kind of jerk shoots people in the mouth, huh?!" Natsu demanded, "I mean, someone could get really hurt!"

The others looked quite shocked and bemused as Leon pointed out, "Wouldn't that normally kill a guy if that happened?"

"If it was to a guy who wasn't a complete weirdo like Natsu." Lucy answered.

"As expected of Salamander…" Juvia agreed.

"I'LL SHOW THAT BLOCKHEAD!" Natsu roared, and he raced off to who knows where, "I WON'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"Where are you going?!" Pastry demanded.

"We'd better follow him." Gray told the team, "Natsu has a nose that would put wild animals to shame."

Just then, the team heard a groan, and saw Palva waking up. "You're awake!" Dori sighed in relief.

Shaking her head slowly, she muttered, "Truth be told…I thought I'd died and gone to hell… I need to hurl…"

"I can provide you with some fresh water if you need some." Juvia requested.

"Not a bad idea. But let's follow Natsu for now." Leon said, putting the young Dragon Slayer back onto her feet, where she wobbled for a moment.

"But what about Happy?" Pastry asked, "I didn't see him with Natsu!"

"We can worry about that later! Lets get decent and get moving!" Dori ordered the team, racing towards the stairs to their rooms, so the girls could change into something more combat ready. _'Hold on, Erza!_ _I promise you, we will save you!'_

* * *

Down in the brig of a certain ship, Erza was regaining consciousness once more. The first thing she felt was the fact that her arms were bound around a wooden post behind her. However, that didn't explain one other thing. "Where am I?"

"Inside the hull of a ship." Sho appeared to answer her question.

"A ship?" Erza echoed.

"That's right. And our course is set for the Tower of Heaven."

The captive mage looked surprised, then looked down, sighing, "I see… I should've known… Can you at least untie me? I promise, I won't fight back."

"I can't do that, since you've proven yourself untrustworthy." Sho answered.

Erza expected this kind of an answer. Instead, she tried to use her Requip magic to change her attire. However, it didn't seem to work. "It's pointless. Millianna's bindings contain Power-sealing Magic." Sho explained, "There's nothing you can do about it yourself. The efforts will just tire you out."

Realizing this, Erza bowed her head in shame as she muttered, "Fine, I won't resist. But please, could you at the very least allow me to Requip into my armor?" For once in a long time, she started to shudder in fear as she continued, "I'm afraid… of having to return to that tower. I just want to have it on, so I can…feel safe."

"But you look so beautiful in that dress, Sister." Sho answered, smiling at her, not even caring about her woes.

All at once, he bent down, and gave Erza a hug, surprising her. He began to whimper and sob, "Honestly, I didn't want to end it like this."

"Sho…" Erza muttered, seeing the tears fall from his eyes.

"I missed you so much! It hurts me!" Sho sobbed, "But tell me… Why… Why did you do it…?" He pulled back and gave her a demented glare as he demanded, "Why the hell did you betray Jellal?!"

Erza was petrified at Sho's sudden outburst. Never did she think she would see him speak to her in such a manner. However, what she asked pained her even more. Jellal. A name of a person she feared now, but there was a time where that name…that person gave her hope. A hope to survive and fight on.

* * *

Back with the rest of the mages, while Dori got her and Palva's normal garments, Gray and Leon managed to find a boat that could fit them all, since according to Natsu, they were out at sea, and Happy's smell was with them. However, there were a few problems they had. One, Natsu and Palva didn't want to go into the boat at all. Two, the magic motor on it wouldn't make it go fast if they all sat in it. The solution for both of these things? Well…

"Yahoo!" Natsu cheered, swerving the flying lance from left to right as he and Palva rode the Dragon Fang, using Fire Dragon's Jet Lance to travel. Not only that, but the lance was tied to a rope, connecting it and the boat that carried everyone behind them.

"This is awesome!" Natsu cheered, "I'm not puking my guts out, and I'm not even flying with Happy!"

"Speaking of which, can you let me do the steering while you keep your nose on where Erza and Happy are?!" Palva demanded, "It's my lance and my magic, you know!"

"Right. Sorry about that." Natsu apologized.

"Why couldn't Natsu be more serious at this point?" Lucy moaned as she picked her self up after being tossed around by Natsu's swerving.

"He can't help it. He's never experienced something like this before." Pastry assumed.

"Still, we can't be messing around, right now!" Gray barked loudly enough for Natsu to hear, "We have to save our friends!"

"We will save them. No ifs, ands, or buts." Dori sternly stated, "I won't allow them to take her away!" Juvia and Leon nodded in agreement to this statement. Hearing all of this, as well, Natsu grew more serious as he kept his nose peeled, making sure to keep a whiff of his two friends in them at all times.

* * *

 **The next day, at the Magic Council Building in Era…**

"You mean that thing still exists?!" Org gasped, "That's preposterous!" The ten members of the Magic Council stood on a large magic circle in a dark room, hearing something from Siegrain that shocked them all.

"About a decade ago, construction began on the R-System; a structure designed by a group of Black magic users." Leiji explained.

"But we had all seven of those towers destroyed!" Michello recalled, refusing to believe this was real, "There shouldn't even be any ruins left!"

"Apparently, there was an eight one that we failed to destroy, settling amidst the Ka Em Ocean." Belno explained, produce a sphere with the picture of the said structure on it.

"How could we miss it? Is this structure close to completion?!" Org questioned her.

"I'm afraid I don't know. Our team mysteriously went missing after showing us these images."

"Well, it looks finished to me." Ultear stated, looking at the structure with calmness. However, her answer did not calm the hearts of the rest of the council members. Well, all except one.

"But why would they revive the R-System after all this time?" Michello questioned.

"The Tower of Heaven." Siegrain corrected him, who's calmness was more stern than anything, "It's not the R-System, it's the Tower of Heaven. Are we clear?"

"It makes no difference to what it is called!" Org retorted, "It utilizes forbidden magic! If such a thing's existence is made public, calamity will break out!"

"We'll have to find a way to subdue them." Belno suggested, "Our best bet is to dispatch the military."

"That's not an option." Leiji retorted.

"Why not?!" the elderly woman demanded.

"The incident that took place at Akane Beach last night…" Leiji started, "According to claims from the witness who was staying there, the people who are trying to make use of the R-System do not belong to that cult." Yajima, who's eyes were closed through all this, opened one of them in concern.

"Then who on earth could they be?" Michello asked Leiji.

"It's a group of mages, led by a man named Jellal." The name struck a chord with everyone in the room.

"Isn't that the name of your twin brother, Siegrain?" Org questioned.

"Yes, I am perfectly aware of that." the said blue-haired council member sighed, "That would be him."

At this point, in the Tower of Heaven, Jellal, who wore a black cloak and hood over his body, smirked, hearing his twin brother's thoughts.

* * *

 **In the middle of the Ka Em Ocean…**

"I'm worried about the people who were trapped in the cards." Lucy muttered in concern, "You think they're okay?"

"They should be." Dori answered, "They're trapped, but not in some sort of pain."

"Besides, we let the military know before we left. So I'm sure they will be fine." Gray added.

"I hope so…" Lucy sighed.

"So forgetting that, where are we now?" Leon asked, looking about.

"I don't know. We've been following Salamander's lead." Juvia answered.

Lucy turned to the two guiding them and called out, "Natsu, are you sure we're going the right direction?" It was then that they noticed Palva was actually slumped over Natsu, holding onto him as she was fast asleep. Natsu, who was trying to use the same technique as her on the lance, was only getting short spurts of flames.

"Ah, man! Why can't I do it as well as her?!" he barked angrily, "Come on, you stupid lance! Work with me here!"

"Guys, we're placing all our bets on your nose! Pull it together, Natsu!" Gray angrily shouted.

"How dare you disappoint my beloved with your childish actions!" Juvia added.

"Palva, get up and help Natsu!" Leon finished.

"Easy, Leon. Palva has been using her magic all night, and hasn't taught Natsu to use that technique yet." Dori reasoned in a motherly fashion, "Besides, Natsu is still keeping his nose out for our friends. He's just…not showing it." Looking at the pouting Natsu, she questioned whether she was honest about that or not.

"Still, it sucks that they managed to knock all of us out and kidnap Erza and Happy." Gray grumbled, "How pathetic can we get?"

"I was also at fault for being outside with Pastry instead of with you guys." Leon added, "I should've been more wary."

"Still, how could a mage as strong as Erza be defeated?" Juvia asked.

"Huh?" Gray questioned with a glare and a raised eyebrow, "Erza didn't get defeated! Stop talking like you know her!" Juvia whimpered an apology for angering her beloved.

"Gray, in her defense, Erza was hesitating." Dori retorted, "She said that they were her former friends, and by the looks of it, they were attached pretty close. I tried to stop them, but managed to make a quick escape after knocking her out." She looked down, saddened she couldn't do more quicker.

"If they were her friends, it makes me wonder if we know her any better than Juvia does." Lucy wondered out loud. The others all wondered the same thing, especially those who knew her longer.

Just then, Natsu stopped trying to use the Lance Jet just as Palva suddenly awoke. They both looked around with concern as Natsu muttered, "I just got a weird feeling." The others heard this, and noticed, from afar, a group of pelican-like birds, which were flying high in the sky, suddenly twist and fall to the water, dead.

"The birds…!" Lucy gasped. "What the heck is going on with them?" Gray questioned.

"Guys, look!" Palva called out, and they saw in the waters around them, broken wood and dead fish floating off the water.

"Even the fish?!" Leon gasped. "This isn't natural." Juvia stated the obvious.

"I don't feel so good." Pastry moaned, tilting back onto Lucy's leg, his eyes weary. "Not you too!" Leon added, reaching down and picking up his partner in worry.

Dori calmed herself, sensing the magic energy around them. "There's something…sick in the air around us." she muttered, "It's like whatever is in the air is affecting the animals. Pastry isn't like the other animals, so he isn't as bad."

"Check it out. That's wreckage from a Fiore naval ship!" Gray noticed the wooden debris having a logo of the said naval ship."

"I don't like this at all…" Lucy muttered.

Just then, Natsu and Palva looked ahead, the former called out, "Hey, guys. Over there." The group turned and saw an eerie sight in the distance. Underneath the cloudy sky, there was an island, surrounded by jagged rocks. On it was a strange tower, with a twisted structure on the outside, reaching towards the sky.

"What is that?" Leon asked, startled at the sight as the rest of the group.

"That must be where they took Erza and Happy." Lucy assumed.

"Palva, Salamander, come closer to the ship." Juvia called out to the Dragon Slayers, "I need to do something." The two looked to one another, and Palva turned the lance around and came next to the boat. As soon as they got close, Juvia raised a hand as she called out, " **Water Dome!** " the water around them gathered into her hand, and then dispersed around them, forming a thin semi-sphere of water around them.

"Let's use this camouflage to make our approach." the rain woman told the group.

"Smart thinking." Dori commended her. With that, they began their silent approach towards the tower.

* * *

On the shores of the said island, Erza, now standing with her hands tied behind her, looked up at the tower in surprise. "The Tower of Heaven… It's been completed?!" she gasped, barely able to see the top of it.

"I don't know why you're so surprised. It's been eight years since you left, after all." Sho pointed out.

"Has it been that long?" she asked, looking to her 'friends' surrounding her, "It's amazing how you've all changed…" She looked back at the base of the tower. So much had changed, and yet the memories of being in this tower eight years ago…they stayed fresh in her mind. She couldn't believe that she had once again, just like before, kidnapped and forced to be in this dreaded nightmare of a tower.

* * *

Inside the Water Dome, Natsu and Dori both gave similar glares of determination as they looked at the tower. Inside the top of the tower, Jellal smirked, sensing Erza's arrival. Inside the Magic Council building, Siegrain looked down with a look of concern on his face. The approaching battle that will soon commence would affect all parties, and big changes would happen from it.

* * *

 **There you have it! The start of the Tower of Heaven arc. A lot of it is pretty much copy and paste from the anime, both Japanese sub and English dub. So now, the group, now bigger than the one in the anime/manga, silently make their approach to the Tower of Heaven. A tower that Erza fears, both it and the 'king' of it. What will the changes be from this story to the original manga/anime? How will each character make their mark in this arc? We'll find out soon! As always, leave a review, tell your friends, and please wait for the next chapter!**


	15. Erza's Past! Climb the Tower of Heaven!

**Previously, on Fairy Tail:**

 _(Lucy speaking)_ Thanks to Loke, me and my friends all got to spend time at a beautiful beach hotel called the Akane Resort. Things were fun and dandy and all, but then trouble suddenly happened when four guys that claimed to be old friends of Erza's showed up, knocking out some of us, and kidnapping Erza and Happy right before me and Dori's eyes. Dori tried to stop them, but they escaped before she could stop them.

We all banded together once more, with the strange new addition being the former member of the Element Four, Juvia, and raced across the sea after the guys who took our friends. I know we'll get them back, but I'm not sure what'll happen when we reach that spooky tower. And what's with those guys claiming to be Erza's friends? Just what is her story with them?

* * *

Inside the Water Dome, created by Juvia, Natsu and Palva were forced to get off the Dragonic Fang for transport, and sit in the boat. Of course, being the Dragon Slayers they were, the moment they stepped into it, they collapsed from motion sickness, each of them feeling like they were gonna hurl. Dori and Gray used their magic to power up the motors of the boat as they sneakily approached the Tower of Heaven.

"I can't take it anymore…" Natsu moaned. "Get us off this tub…" Palva gagged.

"You only just got on!" Leon stated in disbelief.

"Just hold on a bit longer." Lucy told the two.

"Seriously, can't you see we are dealing with an emergency situation here?" Gray questioned.

For real. Two of our friends have been kidnapped. So hold those chunks in, okay?!" Pastry demanded. All he got were groans from the two.

Dori was use to her sister's motion sickness, so she just looked on ahead, staring up at the Tower of Heaven. _'I hope Erza is okay in there.'_ she hoped, _'Please, be safe. You too, Happy.'_

* * *

Inside the tower, there were several floors of cells, where the slaves of the tower were held captive within. Within one of these cells was Erza, hanging from a large hook nail in the wall by magic bindings, made by Millianna, to restrain her wrists and her magic. Sho was standing in front of her, having brought her up here with Simon, who stood at the cell door. The fact that she was hanging like this was quite embarrassing, but her mind was too focused on many other issues at hand, like the fact she was back in this tower, or how much her former friends had changed.

"The ceremony will take place tonight." Sho informed Erza, "Until then, be good and stay here, sister."

 _'Ceremony?'_ Erza questioned in amazement, _'They're planning to restart the R-System?'_ The R-System being the Tower of Heaven itself.

"It can't be helped. Too bad that you betrayed us." Sho sighed, giving Erza a sinister glare, "Jellal was really angry. But still, you should consider it an honor since you have been chosen as a human sacrifice for the ritual. I guess this is the last time we will see each other. But this is all for the sake of us reaching heaven." At this point, Simon was walking away, leaving the two alone.

It was then that Sho noticed the shaking in Erza's arms. "You're trembling, I see. Afraid of being the human sacrifice? Or is it because this place is the very same place…"

He looked to the hole in the cell, and Erza followed his gaze. It was the same hole they took when they were younger. The hole they tried escaping out of to get off the island. The result was them being caught by the guards and the beasts they had. When confronted by the leaders, they believed Erza was the one who planned the escape, despite Jellal pleading that it was his plan all along. However, his pleads, along with Simon's outcries, were left with magical electrocution, while Erza was taken away to be tortured.

"Sorry about back then, sister." Sho apologized, "You ended up getting punished, when I was the one behind it all, but I got scared and couldn't say a word. Truly, it was unfortunate…"

"That's in the past, Sho." Erza responded, "Moreover, are you aware of the danger of trying to forcefully revive someone using the R-System?"

"Wow. So you know what the R-System can be used for? I'm impressed." Sho commended.

"The Revive System. To resurrect an individual using a massive amount of human sacrifices…" Erza began explaining, "It is inhuman, forbidden black magic."

"Sure it's forbidden, but who ever said magic had to be humane?" Sho questioned, "Using magic cuts away one's humanity."

"That's the philosophy of black magic. You aren't any different from them!" Erza accused him.

"Are you seriously comparing me to those idiots?! They thought this was just a method to combine one's body and soul." the dark-skinned young man retorted, turning away from her, his face growing even more demonic, "What they failed to realize was that this is more than just resurrection magic. We know better because we have been enlightened. Jellal told us we can use the tower to get to heaven!"

"To heaven?" Erza questioned, positioning her feet on the wall behind her, ready to make her move.

"You see, once we use the R-System to revive _that person_ , the world will be reborn, and we will become its rulers." Sho explained, "The surviving few cult members that took away our freedom, you, my treacherous sister, as well as your friends, along with the pitiful citizens who live their lives full of ignorance, in addition to those incompetent fools of the Council…"

Sho's tone kept rising throughout his speech, and his face became contorted, and his whole entire demeanor became demon-possessive as he finished, "All of you will be filled with despair and sorrow! As we take away your freedom we will become the rulers of this world!"

He was cackling with laughter at the very thought of this, all the while oblivious to what was happening behind him. Erza used her feet on the rock wall behind her to boost herself off the hook, freeing herself from it. Sho turned just as she charged in on him, and in one hit, struck him into the bars, knocking him out in the process. "S-Sister…" he moaned, before his consciousness faded.

Erza used her teeth, and cut the rope binding her wrists, freeing herself entirely. As she felt her wrists, she looked at Sho, thinking. The person she knew back before was a bit of a coward, but smiling and bright-eyed at hoping for a good future for all of them. Now, he was no better than the demon Ashes.

 _'What could've caused you to change so drastically'_ she questioned, a bright light shining about her as she Requipped into her Heart Kruez Armor, her expression enraged, _'Jellal, you'll pay for this!'_ With this final thought, she ran out of the cell, making her way to finding Jellal.

* * *

Elsewhere, Happy was fast asleep, but he started to wake up as he found himself in a room that could only be described by his first words. "I'm totally surrounded by kitty-cats!" he exclaimed, now wide awake. Everything in the entire room had a cat motif to it, but it definitely looked like a room someone lived in.

"Where is this place? Where's Natsu?" he questioned, looking about. Suddenly, he heard a 'Nya~', and turned to see the young girl known as Millianna in his face, fascinated by him. "A creepy catgirl!" he exclaimed.

"Nya! Are you feeling well?" Millianna asked him.

"Well, I've been better…" Happy answered, confused at the situation. Matters didn't settle when the cat girl pulled him into a tight hug, exclaiming, "I got a talking kitty!"

"Let me go, or you'll hug me to death!" Happy exclaimed.

"Milly, doll, you'd better let go, or you'll knock off that cat." said a familiar voice to Happy, and he turned to see the block-guy named Wally. He recognized him as the one who attacked Natsu.

"Sure a talking cat is dandy…" he started as Millianna walked over to him, "…But do you know what is dandier? A cat that can talk!"

"Oh, yeah!" "But that's the same thing!" Millianna and Happy shouted, respectively at once.

"So how did I end up in this place?! And what happened to Natsu?!" Happy demanded to Wally.

The block man pointed a finger at him as he responded, "Don't get mouthy, or you'll end up six-feet under, just like your pink friend."

Happy was surprised at first, then he retorted, "There's no way Natsu would be defeated like that."

Just then, two guards came to the door as they announced, "We got bad news! Erza Scarlet has escaped her cell!"

"She did? That's Erzy for ya! This sure brings back memories!" Millianna responded, oddly in a cheery way.

"Well, ain't no way the broad's busting out of this tower again." Wally followed.

As the guards led the two away, Happy stood there, concerned. "Erza's here? They got her, too?" How could they have gotten her, too? This didn't make any sense to the little blue cat.

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

Back with the discussing members of the Magic Council, Michello exclaimed, "We have to do something now!"

"We should gather information!" Leiji suggested. "Dispatch the military!" Belno ordered.

"You bleeding-heart doves!" Siegrain insulted.

"What did you say?!" "How dare you?!" barked the last two to speak.

"Only fools would send in military soldiers, and risk the lives of hundreds of innocent soldiers!" Siegrain stated, "This is dangerous, too dangerous!"

"Then what do you propose we do?" Org asked him.

"None of you understand at all. Right now, we have to totally destroy the Tower of Heaven. There is only one way of doing that. The Satellite Square, Etherion."

The suggestion shocked almost all of the member of the Council. "Are you insane?!" Org barked.

"That's destruction magic that transcends space and time!" Michello pointed out.

"We can't!" Belno followed.

"Do you know how much devastation it would cause?!" Leiji questioned him, "That weapon has the power to obliterate an entire nation!"

"Etherion is our final weapon!" Belno explained, "It's even more dangerous than the R-System!"

"Just hear me out!" Siegrain silenced them, "The Satellite Square can pinpoint any target in the region. If we can focus it directly on the tower, we can cause less collateral damage, and destroy the tower!"

At this, Ultear raised a hand as she declared, "I concur."

"Not you too! Have you gone mad?!" Org scowled, standing next to her.

"There are nine of us here. Three more consents is what we need." Siegrain stated, "But we can't let deliberation delay us. Time is of the essence. I urge you to vote with me! We cannot allow Jellal to activate the Tower of Heaven!"

"You are aware that means the life of your twin brother, Jellal, will also be taken away?" Org questioned his choice.

"I realize that…" Siegrain muttered, "However, it's a sacrifice that must be made!"

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Shoreline**

The Fairy Tail mages, plus Juvia, finally made it onto the island, and were nearing the stairs that led inside the tower. However…

"They got a ton of lookouts…" Gray muttered as they hid themselves, looking up the pass.

"Can't we just break through?!" Natsu suggested, almost eagerly.

"No, we can't!" Dori responded, "They have Erza and Happy captive in there. We can't afford doing anything that'll put them in harm's way!"

"Pastry and Juvia are searching the air and sea, right now." Leon retorted, "We should wait until they give us reports."

As if on cue, Juvia watery body rose out of the water, stating, "I found an underwater passageway into the tower."

"Awesome!" Palva eagerly answered. "Way to go, Juvia." Gray praised her.

As if to try and show off, Juvia turned demented eyes to Lucy and hissed, "Hear that, Lucy? I was just praised by Gray, not you!"

"Yeah, yeah…" the Celestial mage sighed, finding this getting really old.

"So how quickly can we swim there?" Dori asked Juvia, getting her attention away from Lucy.

"I say about ten minutes." Juvia answered.

"We can probably hold our breath that long." Natsu stated nonchalantly.

"Child's play." Gray agreed. "Better take a deep breath." Palva added.

"That humanly impossible!" Lucy exclaimed.

"No problem. I can create a sphere of crystal that'll help us roll along the ocean floor." Dori stated, "Though each sphere can hold two people at max, and you do have to keep your breathing shallow…"

"May I make a suggestion?" Juvia asked her, holding up a liquid sphere in her palm, perfect size for one of their heads, "We can put these on our heads. These aqua shells contain oxygen, so you can breath underwater."

"That sounds like a better plan." Leon agreed.

"That's pretty awesome!" Natsu praised her, "By the way, who are you?" Juvia paled at how he was so oblivious to not ask this of her.

WHACK! Using the blunt end of the spear, Palva knocked Natsu over the head, sending him to the ground as she hissed, "You spent all that time at sea, and at the resort, and never once thought of asking her that?! How dumb can you be?!"

"Right…sorry…" Natsu whined in pain.

"Always on the ball, aren't you?" Lucy sarcastically stated.

"I'll call Pastry with the communication lacrima." Dori told the team, "He should start searching for any signs of Happy or Erza up the tower. Let's hurry!" The team nodded in response.

After a quick change into swimsuits, they all placed on the watery shells of oxygen, and dove underwater, with Leon carrying all of their clothing in a crystal container made by Dori. Juvia was practically water herself, and could breath fine underwater, so they all followed her. Sure enough, about ten minutes later, they resurfaced at an underwater passageway that was underneath the tower.

"Looks like we found a way in." Dori noted.

"I wonder where are Erza and Happy?" Natsu asked.

"This was a pretty neat spell you pulled Juvia." Palva stated, holding the watery shell in her hands.

"They may look silly, but they sure do work." Lucy stated.

"I'm surprised you made it here, since I made your's smaller, so you would have more trouble breathing." Juvia stated with eyes of trickery.

"We're trying to survive TOGETHER, Juvia!" Palva barked at her as Lucy looked a bit foolhardy by this sudden fact, "Save your jealous attempts to kill AFTER we save our friends and get out of here!"

Just then, the group heard a roar, followed by someone shout, "Intruders!" Someone riding on an eyeless, winged beast saw the from above. Moments after, countless guards arrived on the scene, filling up the walkways all around and above them. They were surrounded. "Identify yourselves!" one of them ordered.

"Guess they were expecting us…" Dori muttered, looking about.

"Since it's come to this, I guess there's no other way!" Gray followed. "Right." Juvia agreed.

"You guys wanna know who we are?" Natsu demanded, his body surging with magic power.

"Your 'friends' attacked us, and yet you don't even know?!" Palva followed, making her body surge with magic energy.

"We're the guys who'll destroy the lot of you!" they shouted together, punching and stomping the ground, creating an explosion of flames that made a statement; These people didn't know who they were messing with. Well, they got their answer as the mages appeared above the explosion, right above the guards position. "WE'RE FROM FAIRY TAIL!" the two Dragon Slayers roared, unleashing Fire Dragon's Roar onto the enemy, causing them to exclaim at the heat.

" **Ice-Make Lance!** " " **Crystal Diety: Skadi!** " Gray and Dori unleashed icy attacks, with Dori fusing ice lacrima with her Crystal Barrage, and Gray firing an all around spread of lance-shaped ice. All the enemies exclaimed at the coldness of their attacks.

"Out of my way!" Leon roared, unleashing slash after slash with his blade, taking out all the enemies that came his way.

" **Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!** " Lucy shouted, calling forth her maid-dressed Spirit with her key.

"What is thy bidding, Princess?" Virgo asked.

As the guards were exclaiming love over Virgo and her bikini-cladded master, Lucy irritably ordered, "Please give these pervs some punishment."

"As you wish." Virgo answered, her eyes glowing red, and she began mowing down the enemies with ease.

Down below, the guards were unable to damage Juvia and her watery body. Neither swords nor magic bullets would be able to do anything. "Drip, drip, drop…" she muttered, waving her hand in an arc and shouting, " **Water Slicer!** " she unleashed a riptide that shredded the soldiers and sent them flying.

No matter how much the guards could try, they couldn't even stand a chance against seven powerful mages like them. They just kept getting mowed down by their various magical attacks.

After a while, they gathered together once more. "That seemed to have done the job." Juvia stated.

"Great job, everyone." Dori told the group.

"After making so much noise, will we be all right?" Lucy asked desperately.

"Sorry, Lucy, but I think we've might've caused a lot of attention with what happened here." Leon answered her.

"Do I need to be punished?" Virgo asked.

"Why? You did your job right." Palva answered in confusion.

Natsu picked up one of the guards and demanded, "So where's the blockhead, buddy?!" Before he got an answer, however, one of the stone heads on the wall opened its' mouth, and its 'tongue' elongated down to where they stood, forming a path upwards. "What is that?" Natsu asked.

"I think that's there way of saying we're invited in." Gray assumed.

"It could be a trap, guys." Dori warned them, "Let's go in, but keep up your guard. Palva, nose front."

"On it!" her younger sister answered, sniffing the pathway on ahead. She then looked confused as she stated, "I smell food. A banquet, even."

"There's food?!" Natsu asked excitedly, "It's chow time!" He raced up the steps, heading towards the smell.

"Can you be serious?!" Gray demanded, and they all raced after him, with Leon bringing the crystal container filled with their clothes.

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

Scared to do so, Leiji shakily raised a hand as he stated, "I…I vote yes."

"Lord Leiji! Not you, too!" Org barked, finding it disbelieving he would choose to fire the Etherion.

"There's no other choice." Leiji defended.

"Only two more votes needed." Siegrain noted, "Please, trust me on this. There's no time."

He was fully aware that his twin brother, Jellal, was able to hear and sense what was happening on the other side. "They can't stop me." he snickered, "The Magic Council only wishes they had the power to stop me."

* * *

"Hey, Blockhead!" Natsu roared. "Wait till I get my hands on that cat girl!" Palva sneered.

"Keep your voice down!" Lucy begged.

"I doubt sneaking around will help anymore." Gray pointed out, holding a piece of meat, "Not after all the ruckus we made downstairs."

"This coming from the people who are eating right now?!" Dori added, pointing out him, and everyone else with the exception of Lucy and her eating at the table full of food they found inside. At least Juvia was eating the neatest of the bunch.

"What are you guys eating, anyway?!" Lucy demanded.

"It seems like a feast was prepared." Virgo stated the obvious, "Princess, do you want to join?"

"No, thanks." Lucy sighed. "Why would they feed us?" Dori asked, "Could it be poisonous?" This statement certainly got Lucy, Gray, Leon and Juvia's attention.

"Relax. I didn't smell anything poisonous on the food." Palva answered with a mouthful of food, "Come on, sis! Eat up!" Dori sighed at this, but knew her sister or Natsu could tell if the food was poisonous or not. They had keen noses.

"The door that welcomed us in was controlled by a magic user." Juvia pointed out, looking at the door they came in from.

"I figured that earlier." Dori answered, taking a piece of fruit from the platter and munched on it, "Guess that means they really do know we are here. They may have known we'd come before arriving."

"Then why would they let us in?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe they're challenging us." Gray assumed.

"We don't know much about how these people think." Leon stated, taking a drink from his mug, "As far as we can tell, they might think of this as a game, or bait us into a trap."

"Maybe…" Lucy hummed, not sure how to make of this situation.

"Not to be rude, but your bikini leaves little to the imagination." Virgo pointed out to Lucy.

"Should I change?!" Lucy questioned, covering her chest.

"Certainly! Let's have a change of clothes." her spirit answered, her eyes red and her fingers finicky as she drew near.

"I need to get into my garments, too." Dori agreed, pulling out her clothing, "Now **Crystal Wall!** " Creating a wall of fogged crystal, the two ladies and the maid Spirit were hidden from view from the others. All they could hear was Lucy's yelping at Virgo changing her.

"I'd probably need to change, too…" Palva muttered with a meat bone in her mouth, grabbing her clothing from the crystal container, "Be right back! No peeping!"

"Gray, my darling, whatever you do, avert your eyes and ears from what's behind the wall!" Juvia cried out to the Ice-Make mage.

"Relax, I'm not…" Gray answered her disparagingly. Leon was ignorant, while Natsu just kept eating.

Moments later, the trio of ladies came out from around the wall, with Lucy wearing a new set of garments, comprised of a dress that almost had a ball gown look, with mixtures of green, yellow and other such colors decorating it, a white dress underneath, white ribbons on her chest and upper arms, a flower ornaments on her wrists, brown sandals, and a green cloth tied around her forehead.

"I brought these clothes over from the Celestial World." Virgo told her.

"While I don't see it as attire you would wear in the battlegrounds, it looks good on you." Dori stated, turning to the guys, "What do you guys think?"

"Not bad." Leon answered. "Oh, yeah! You look cute!" Gray agreed.

"Don't compliment her!" Juvia exclaimed with jealousy.

"He looooves her." Virgo sassed, causing some of the team to turn gray at what she said.

"Don't you start doing that, too…" Lucy muttered.

"How does that even make sense?" Dori asked.

"Since when did you learn to copy Happy?" Natsu asked.

"Happy does that?" Palva questioned, "Jeez, what a teasing cat."

* * *

Higher up, Happy sneezed as he sat on the cat-motif sofa. "I think I'm gonna go crazy if I stay in this room a little longer." he panicked.

Just then, he heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey, Happy!" He turned as Pastry came in, looking deadpanned at the bizarre room he entered into. "What the heck is this place? Cat-lovers paradise?!" he questioned.

"Pastry?! Where did you come from?!" Happy asked, joyous at seeing a friendly face.

"Outside. Me, Natsu, Dori and the others are here to rescue you and Erza." the ginger cat explained, "They should be somewhere lower down. Let's go."

"But couldn't we go outside for help, too?" Happy asked, flying to the window. He looked out and was shocked to see the ocean before him.

"Maybe you didn't notice, but we're on a tall tower on a small island, surrounded by a huge body of water." Pastry sarcastically pointed out, "I don't think the only help we can get are from our friends and our enemies in this tower. No in-betweens. Let's go down and see if we can't find the others."

"Aye, sir!" Happy answered, and they raced out the door, heading on a path, hoping it would take them further down.

* * *

Back with the others, Virgo had just departed back to the Celestial World as the guys got on their garments. "It's fortunate that the container was water-proof." Leon stated, pulling the last coat sleeve on, "Hate to put on wet clothes, if you know what I mean."

"Intruders!" "Let's get them!" guards found them in the room they were standing in, and the team was prepared to fight back. However, they were abruptly stopped with by a surprise guest; Erza, with two swords at hand as she slashed them all down.

"Erza!" Dori, Natsu and Gray gasped.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Lucy sighed in relief.

"And here we thought we should be worried about her." Leon snickered.

"Wow, she's so cool…" Juvia muttered in awe.

Erza, who had just noticed them, seemed shocked at their presence. "Wh-what are you doing inside the tower?!" she questioned them.

"Uh, to look for you?" Palva answered in a quizzical tone.

"We haven't met. My name is Juvia, and I…" the water mage started to introduce herself.

"Go home!" Erza ordered, "This place is far too dangerous for you!"

Natsu hammered a fist into his palm, causing embers to burn as he stated, "You ain't gonna scare me into leaving! If we ran away now, we will dishonor the name of Fairy Tail! I'm gonna give that blockhead a taste of my fist!"

"You have to go!" Erza repeated sternly. "But why?" Lucy asked.

"Those friends of yours kidnapped Happy! I can't leave here without him!" Natsu proclaimed.

"They got him, too?!" Erza asked in shock, not aware of an additional captive, "It must've been Millianna."

"That cat girl." Dori growled. "The chick who tied me up and sent me on that non-stop roller coaster?!" Palva recalled angrily.

"So where is he?" Natsu demanded. "Not sure…" Erza answered.

Just then, Dori sensed something, and pulled out her communication lacrima. "Pastry, is that you?" she asked.

"Yeah! I got Happy here!" Pastry answered, getting relieved looks from the crew, "But we're somewhat lost in this tower. Maybe one of you guys can come and find us?"

"Quick, before that crazy cat lady find me!" Happy pleaded from behind.

"Hang tight, Happy! We're on our way!" Natsu declared, racing past Erza, "Happy is waiting for me!"

"Hey, wait for me!" Dori called out, racing after him, "You don't know the way!"

"Wait, Natsu! Dori!" Erza called out.

Dori stopped, looking back at Erza with one eye. "Listen, I don't know why you want us to leave." she started, "I don't know why your 'friends' kidnapped you and Happy. I don't know what your connection is with this tower. I don't know anything about you, Erza. What I do know is that these people harmed my friends and allies, and I need to know why. And you are not gonna stop me!" With that, she ran off after Natsu, leaving Erza flabbergasted at her words, before bowing her head, unsure of what to do.

"She does have a point." Gray agreed, "Well, some of what she said."

"Let's go after them!" Lucy declared. "Heck yeah!" Palva cheered.

Erza raised as sword to block their path forward, startling the team except Leon. "You don't have to worry about Happy. Millianna is a cat lover. She won't do anything to hurt him." she assured the team, "I will take responsibility for bringing all three of them back. But you three need to leave immediately."

"You can't be serious!" Palva barked, "We can help you out!"

"I don't want your help!" Erza retorted, "This is a personal matter. I don't want to get any of you involved!"

"How could you say that?!" Gray questioned her, "You saw Natsu! You heard Dori!"

"Like it or not, this has become our problem from the moment they targeted you." Leon followed, "We need answers, and we ain't gonna leave until you or someone here gives us some. What is with this tower? Who is responsible for this place?" Erza stood there, not giving him an answer.

"Listen, I can understand if you don't want to tell us…" Lucy started in a sympathetic tone, "You said those creeps who kidnapped you before use to be friends. Well, we're your friends, too. And we're here to help you. No matter what, we always have your back!" Gray smirked in agreement, while Leon and Juvia remained stone-faced.

"Yeah! You helped me with Ashes, so I'll stand by your side, no matter what!" Palva reminded her.

Erza's lips were quivering as she hid her expression from the others, but she did her best to hide what she was feeling as she ordered, "Leave!"

"Why?" Lucy asked. "This isn't like you, Erza." Gray pointed out.

Leon stepped forward towards her and barked, "Erza, we won't leave without a good reason, and we won't leave with your back turned to us! So turn around and say it to my face, would ya?! Either way, we're helping you out!"

He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her around, and what they saw was surprising to everyone, even making Leon step back. Erza was shedding tears. However, there was one thing off about this.

 _'Erza's only crying through one eye?'_ Palva wondered, seeing only her left eye tearing up, but not her right eye.

"I'm sorry, but you can't help me." Erza told them, wiping away the tears, "The odds are stacked against me. Win or lose, I will perish from this world."

"What do you mean by that?" Gray asked, shocked to hear her say she would die.

Erza grasped her gauntlet, pulling it close to her chest as she muttered, "There's no point fighting what's inevitable. But what I can do is share my story to you…while I'm still here." The others awaited with baited breath. What could she mean that her fate was inevitable?

"This building is called the Tower of Heaven. It's also called the R-System. Over a decade ago, a cult devoted to black magic began on its' construction. It would be used to cast a forbidden spell to bring the dead back to life."

"Seriously?" Palva questioned, but Lucy hushed her.

"The spell would require a large amount of human sacrifices. They abducted the people of nearby villages to be used as their slaves. The only reason I know this is because I was one of those people."

Now this was a 'seriously' moment, as everyone gasped at this. Erza was a slave to be used as a sacrifice, in this very tower? Considering her strength now, they could hardly believe she was a slave to anyone.

"Anyone who would try leaving the tower or attempt an escape would mysteriously disappear." Erza continued, "We never had any piece of mind. We lived in constant fear. Even so, there were friends who I could open my heart to. Even if it was only for a brief moment. And one of those people I knew was Jellal."

There was a moment's pause as she gathered herself, then she continued, "Then, one day, me, Jellal, and my friends, the ones who you met, attempted an escape. However, we were caught. And although it was Sho's idea, and Jellal tried to take the blame, they thought I was the one who led the escape. They took me and tortured me. It was…something I wish I could only forget about. The only thing that forces me to remind of that was my right eye." She touched around the said eye, muttering, "During that torture, I lost it. What you see right now is only an artificial recreation given by Porlyusica."

"So that explains why your right eye doesn't tear up." Palva realized, "It's a fake."

"It works just as well as the original, but…well, I always felt that I cried so much during those times, I lost the ability to keep crying with it." Erza assumed, "In any case, Jellal came to rescue me, but he ended up getting captured, replacing me to be tortured instead. I was taken back to the cell where my friends were at. Sho, Simon, Millianna, Wally…Grampa Rob."

"Grampa Rob?" Palva muttered, getting a familiar feeling about that name.

"If there was one thing that Jellal left me with before he got captured, it was that we had to stand up and keep fighting." Erza continued, "And so, I staged a rebellion. We took a stand for our freedom. We'd hope to save our dear friend, Jellal. He was like the leader of our group back then. A strong sense of justice that I truly admired. However…" She looked to the group with a warning glare as she stated, "Something happened to him. It was like he became a completely different person. There was only one description I would give his new persona; Pure, unadulterated evil."

* * *

 **Elsewhere…**

"Don't worry, Happy! I'm comin' for ya!" Natsu shouted, racing through the hallway.

"Natsu, calm down!" Dori shouted, racing after him, "We know he is with Pastry, so he should be fine! But the last thing we need to do is run through these hallways, attracting attention to us!"

He stopped and turned to her as he demanded, "Well, do you have any idea where he is?"

"No. They said they couldn't find their way around here." Dori reminded him, looking about the area they were in, "Plus, with the weird magic energy all around this place, I can't pinpoint them based on their magic energy. The best we can do is look around without people noticing we're here."

Natsu pounded his fist as he made a sound of realization, then he bound his scarf around his face, with only his eyes showing as he took a fake ninja position and silently muttered, "So we move around like ninjas while searching for our friends. As quiet as can be…"

"You don't take things seriously EVER, do you?" Dori asked with a sweat-dropped expression, "Well, if you put it that way, then yes. Now follow me."

"Nin-nin!" Natsu answered as Dori passed him, leaping after her, like a mock ninja.

* * *

In a different part of the building, Pastry and Happy were peering out of the corner of a hallway, looking for any signs of guards. Seeing none, they flew on ahead.

"I really hope we find Natsu, soon!" Happy prayed, "The last thing I wanted was to be stuck in that cat-infested room! I would've gone stir-crazy!"

"You and me, both." Pastry agreed, "From what I could gather before she shut off the lacrima, Natsu and Dori should be coming our way. Let's hope they don't get into trouble."

Happy sighed as he stated, "Knowing Natsu, he'll be the first to cause the trouble. He's always like that when I'm not around."

"He's always like that, even if you WERE around!" Pastry retorted, "Well, whatever. Let's hurry!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy answered, taking a left path and dashing on a path they hoped led downward.

* * *

"…We were making progress. Every one of the slaves rallied together, fighting against our suppressors." Erza continued, "I pretty much was one of the leaders, as I was the one who sparked the rebellion in the first place. All I wanted to do was fight back and reach Jellal. However, when they used magic soldiers against us, we almost lost all hope. Simon got badly damaged in the battle, and Grampa Rob…was killed. Died protecting me from them.

"Wait, I think I remember that name." Palva muttered, drawing the attention of the others, "Master Makarov and Yajima of the Magic Council spoke of him. He was their friend, right?"

"Yes. Rob was part of the same generation of Fairy Tail mages as them." Erza explained, smiling at her, "He was a slave, just like me. He was the one who told me about magic, and always believing I could unlock it one day, granting me my freedom. Thanks to his sacrifice, it drove me to unlocking my magic power, and it helped us fight back, destroying the magic soldiers and made our way to Jellal."

She lost her smile, looking down with grief, then continued, "However, when I found Jellal. He had changed. He was not the same as before. He was evil, and corrupted. He became worse than the people who locked us up in the first place. Jellal only believed that true freedom came from Zeref, and that the Tower of Heaven would lead everyone to him. He killed the leaders of the cult right before my eyes, without any sort of mercy."

"That's horrible…" Lucy muttered, shocked at the drastic change that Jellal went through.

"I wanted to leave this place, and gain my freedom, as that was part of the intention of the rebellion. However, Jellal was different. Since I didn't want to stay, he forced me to leave, alone. No one else would leave but me. He told me never to tell anyone of the Tower of Heaven, or else he would have no choice but to destroy it and everyone in it. I couldn't return back her to save the people in it, or else my friends would be killed. And so, I was sent away, burdened with the secrets I had to hold in, and the guilt I couldn't share with others."

By the time she finished her story, she had her back turned to the others, shedding more tears from her left eye. The pain she had felt back then, and the effects Jellal had on her and all her friends that she gained in this tower, were unbearable in her heart. The mages behind her looked sympathetically at her, now realizing the kind of burden she bared.

"I have to fight Jellal…" she sobbed, "I have no other choice. I have to do it…" Palva looked to Erza's red hair, then looked down, thinking.

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

"Right now, we have no other option than to use Etherion from the Satellite Square!" Siegrain told his fellow members.

"The R-System is forbidden magic we cannot allow to be part of our recorded history." Ultear defended Siegrain's decision, "Therefore, it has to be eliminated! Don't you understand this?"

"A shot from Etherion will reduce everything to nothingness!" Org retorted, "This includes the innocent civilians in the tower!"

"Not to mention your twin brother, Jellal will surely die!" Michello added to Jellal, "Are you sure about that?"

"It's for the greater good." Siegrain answered calmly.

"Although many civilian lives will be lost, we must stop it." Leiji decided, "It is a sacrifice that must be made."

"How can you say that?!" Org demanded, "We will be accused of committing a surprise attack on the land of Ka Em! We will be accused of as mass murderers!"

"Which means we will have to sacrifice our reputation in due process as well." Belno stated.

"You can't be serious?!" Org questioned her words.

"Think of how the R-System will affect future generations!" Leiji reasoned with Org, "When the time comes to tell our children about the value of life, how can we teach them that when the dead can be resurrected?"

"We have to put an end to this!" Belno decided, raising a hand, "I will concur with using Etherion for the attack."

"We need one more…" Siegrain muttered, just as his twin brother sensed the additional vote to his favor.

"One more vote, huh?" Jellal asked, "That's all it will take, and then…game over."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven**

"Hold on a minute, Erza…" Gray stopped her, "The Zeref you mentioned in your story…"

"I'm sure. He was a legendary black mage." Erza explained.

"I remember them referring to the monster that came out of the Lullaby flute as one of Zero's demons!" Lucy recalled.

"Yes. And I think Dori said that Deliora was one of his demons, too." Leon recalled, looking to Palva, "The same went for Ashes, the demon that was inside Palva." The Dragon Slayer curled her fists at this, recalling the demon's words…

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ **"…In his rage, Zeref planted the seed of a demon inside your ancestor, where it would remain dormant until an individual wielding the same power would be given birth into the world. That seed was me.** " _(Flashback ends)_

* * *

"If Zeref is as evil as they say, then why would Jellal want to resurrect him?" Juvia asked.

"I don't understand his motives, either." Erza answered, turning to the team, "However, my old friend, Sho told me something strange. He said once he is revived, they will ascend to heaven, the world will be reborn, and they will be the rulers."

"But why did your former friends turn against you?" Lucy pondered out loud, "Wasn't Jellal the traitor and not you, Erza?"

"Based on what we know of him, he probably spun a tale that made it sound like she was the one who betrayed them." Leon assumed, "With his inspiring personality, mixed with corrupted thinking, he could easily brainwash anyone who didn't see the actual betrayal."

"Yes. I would assume so." Erza agreed, looking down, "But I left them here for eight years. So in a matter of speaking, I did betray them."

"But you did that so he wouldn't kill them!" Lucy defended, "You couldn't save them!"

"That doesn't matter." Erza retorted, "If I can defeat Jellal, all of this will be over."

Everyone looked at her with concern. A moment ago, she stated she would die if she would die, win or lose this fight. Was there something she was holding back? Something she wasn't telling them? Palva, in particular, was wanting to say something. But before she could start, they were interrupted by an eavesdropper.

"Sister, that story…" started a voice, and they all turned to see Sho enter the room, his face filled with disbelief and shock, "Why…why are you lying to them?"

"Sho…" Erza muttered, surprised to see him hear the story, too.

"You tried to gain your friends' sympathy by telling them that tall tale?" Sho accused her, "Tell them the truth! That's not how it happened, and you know it! You blew up our ships and ran away all by yourself! We would've been sunk to the bottom of the sea if Jellal didn't warn us of your betrayal! He warned us of mages like you, who haven't used their magic properly. He said you were corrupted my your magic powers, and didn't want anything to do with your past or us!"

"Jellal told you that?" Gray asked him.

"Is that something the Erza you know would have done?" Lucy questioned.

Sho angered expression was faltered, knowing what Erza was like before. He couldn't believe she would do such a thing, and yet… "You don't think you know her… You were never there back then." he retorted, tears forming in his eyes, "You don't know a thing about us! Jellal's words gave us a reason to move on. That's why we spent the past eight years building this tower! It was all for his sake! Now you're telling me that it was all a lie? Do your really think you expect me to believe you, and that Jellal was wrong?"

"That's right." echoed a voice, and everyone turned to the opposite side of their group to see the tall, muscular man known as Simon appear out of the shadows.

"Bastard!" Gray growled, about to attack him when Juvia raised a hand to him. "Hold on a moment!" she stopped him, "Back then, he attacked your ice clone on purpose."

"What?!" Gray questioned her.

"It was his Darkness magic. There was no way he could've been fooled by that." Juvia reasoned out, "I came along to find the reasons why he spared you."

"As expected from someone who was once one of the Phantom's Element 4." Simon stated.

"What's going on?!" Sho questioned Simon's motives as well.

"Sho, I pretended to have killed them and trick you. I'd hope to have everyone return to the tower." Simon answered.

"But why? How could you lie like that?!" Sho asked, unable to take in the fact one of his friends he had been with would also betray him. Simon approached him and placed a comforting arm on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized, "Jellal had you under his spell, and I couldn't break you out of it. I had to go along with you until the time was right."

"So you knew all along?" Erza asked, relieved to see him acknowledge the truth of her tale.

As Sho slumped to the floor, Simon turned to Erza with a smile as he stated, "I always believed in you, Erza. For the past eight years, I always have, and nothing will change that." Erza smiled as they both raised hands and shook one another's. I'm happy that we could finally meet again, Erza. From the bottom of my heart."

"Simon…" Erza sighed in relief as Simon gave her a gentle hug, each glad to be with the other once more. Her Fairy Tail mages, plus Juvia, were all smiling at the warm reunion in front of them. Still one of them still had something to get off her chest.

"Erza…" Palva started, stepping towards her as she parted herself from Simon, "I know that you had it rough, and you are trying to settle something personal that happened eight years ago. And I can tell you right now, that I know what you are feeling, too. I know what it means to want to take on the troubles alone." Leon narrowed his eyes, knowing where this was going at.

"When my flames were out of control, I had said many times to myself that I needed to deal with my own problems. No one had to bear the burden of my suffering, or what should be my responsibility. I had to find a way to control my flames, by myself. If I died trying, then that's fine. A minute go, you were acting in the same fashion as what I use to be." Erza looked down, seeing the similarity in what she said before.

"But I have a stubborn sister who wouldn't let me go, no matter what." Palva chuckled, "And Leon and Pastry just stuck around because they knew I needed the help. You guys and Natsu stuck it out for me, even after knowing what was my problem, and what was facing against me. You helped me out." She stabbed her Dragonic Fang tip first into the ground, letting go of it as she continued, "Thanks to you guys, I was free from all of that. My flames are mine to control. No demon is within me anymore. All because you guys were too stubborn to stop helping. And just like you helped me, we're gonna help you with fighting against Jellal, and free you from the burden! And then, you're coming home with us, alive! You can even bring your friends here with us!"

"Palva…" Erza muttered, amazed at all of this. Everything she said rang through her heart, and was something she couldn't disagree with. Lucy, Gray, Leon, Palva, Juvia, all of them. They were here for her, and they weren't gonna die nor take this on her own, no matter how much she tried pushing them away to safety. They were there to stay.

"Why?" Sho sobbed, getting everyone's attention as tears fell from his eyes, "Why did everyone in sister so much? Why wasn't I able to believe in her?" He hammered the floor in anger and confusion as he shouted, "Damn it! What is the truth?! Who should I believe?! I…I don't know anymore…!" He continued to bawl, kneeling down on the floor, covering his face with his eyes.

Erza walked over and knelt down in front of him. "It must be difficult for you to accept all of this." she sympathized, smiling at him, "But Sho…there's something you should know: over the past eight years, I have never once forgotten any of you." She reached down, and pulled the sobbing Sho into a hug to comfort him, "I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner. I'm sorry I was so weak back then… Please, forgive me."

"But now you've gotten stronger." Simon responded to this, "You're ready to face him, isn't that right?" Erza nodded in response.

Simon turned to the other mages as he stated, "I've waited for this moment for a long time. For many powerful mages to gather here."

"So what do you have planned?" Lucy asked him.

"We're going to take down Jellal." Simon answered, "We can do it if we work together." The five mages standing in front of him nodded in understanding. Erza stood up, determined to fight as well. Sho merely knelt there, still confused and petrified at what to do.

"But first, we must prevent Wally and Salamander from fighting one another." Simon stated, "The same should be said for Dori Himeka and Millianna. We have to assure the safety of both parties."

"Easier said than done…" Palva muttered, "I know Natsu's a hot-head, but my sister only wants payback for what that cat girl did to me. I hope we find them soon."

"Can't you sniff Natsu out?" Gray asked her.

"I can try, but his flames are somewhat masked by the putrid magic energy around here. I'll try to decipher Natsu's flames from it." She raced on ahead, with everyone following behind. Erza picked Sho back onto his feet, smiling in assurance, and took off after her comrades. Sho watched her and Simon leave, look down at his hands, then raced after them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dori and Natsu climbed a few steps, went close to the outer wall of the tower, and skidded to a halt at the sight of Millianna's room, where they saw the amount of cats motifs that filled the place.

"What is up with this room?" Natsu asked as they walked into it with disturbed expressions, "There are cats everywhere."

"This has got to be Millianna's room." Dori assumed, looking at an assortment of cat stuff on a shelf, "I've heard of crazy cat ladies, but she takes it to a weirder level."

"Hey, Dori!" Natsu called to her, and she turned to see him put on a large, green cat head that looked like it should be part of a mascot attire. He started forming poses as he declared, "Let's do it, Happy! 'Aye, sir!'"

"Natsu, there's a window over here." Dori muttered with a silent but angry tone to it, "If you don't want to get thrown out of it, take that off, and get serious."

"Relax! I'm just joking around." Natsu assured her, grabbing the head and trying to pull it off. However, for some strange reason, he was having a hard time trying to take it off. He finally exclaimed, then sighed as he muttered, "I can't get it off of my head…"

"You placed it on! How could you not get it off?!" Dori questioned him in outrage.

"Oh well, it looks cool." Natsu stated, regaining his chipper composure, and laughing off his situation.

Dori sighed and shook her head, finding Natsu's relaxed nature to this to be irritating. Just then, she sensed something, and looked at the door to see a familiar, blocky figure, kneeling against the side of the door. He tipped his hat upwards, grinning mischievously. "Well, ain't that dandy…" he muttered, magically transforming his arm into a gun, and pointing it at the two of them.

"You again!" Dori barked, getting into a fighter's stance.

"Wait, what's going on?!" Natsu questioned, looking about. He then sniffed a bit, and muttered, "Wait…is that blockhead here?!"

"He is. He's at the door." Dori answered, not taking her eyes off of their enemy.

Natsu growled as he turned to the door, while Wally smirked as he stated, "End of the road, for the both of ya."

"You're gonna pay for shooting me in the mouth, you blockhead!" Natsu barked, trying to pull off the mask he wore, "Just as…soon as I…get this off…! Come on, get off!" No matter how much he tried, he was not able to take off the mask.

"Maybe I should do something about that thing." Dori muttered with an angry tone, raising a fist and forming a Crystal Pinnacle on it, "It'll only take a second to break through to your face…"

"Wait, what are you trying to do?!" Natsu questioned, getting a sense of dread, "Please, don't! I…almost…got it!"

"Let me give you a hand, kid…" Wally stated, aiming the gun at Natsu's head.

Just has he fired, his gun was bolted upwards by another character. The cat girl, Millianna, leapt in and redirected Wally's attack, causing it to misfire between the two Fairy Tail mages. "It's her again!" Dori gasped, now directing her anger towards her.

"What do you think you're doing, Millianna?!" Wally demanded.

There was a moment's pause from her, then she answered, "You big ol' meanie! You were trying to hurt the itty-bitty-kitty-witty!" Dori gave a deadpanned expression at this statement.

"Wait, that not even a real cat, you crazy broad!" Wally retorted. Milianna looked to Natsu, as did the others, waiting to see if he was right. But all Natsu did was give a small 'nya' in response.

"He's just the cutest little thing!" Millianna cooed.

"A wise guy, eh?!" Wally barked, shoving the cat girl away, "I'll show you this cat is a rat!" His body glowed with geometric shapes, before firing it off in blocks at Natsu and Dori. Natsu flipped about, dodging the attack, while Dori skidded to one side, racing at Millianna while she was defenseless, and slamming her with her Crystal Pinnacle, sending her out the door.

"Millianna!" Wally called out to her, not wanting her to get hurt in that fashion.

"Natsu! I'll handle the cat girl!" Dori told him, "You handle this guy, okay?!"

"You got it!" Natsu answered, seeing four blocks coming at him, and picking up a big, stuff toy cat, " **Cat-Make Barrier!** "

"Oh, no! Not my poor kitty-witty!" Millianna cried, getting up off the ground to see what Natsu was doing.

"You have bigger problems, cat girl!" Dori barked at her, coming out of the room with her Crystal Pinnacle, about to punch her with it. She nimbly flipped to one side, landing a good distance away.

"I got a bone to pick with you." Dori growled, "You send my sister on a near-death roller coaster experience, and it's time for you to pay!"

"Nya! So she was your sister?" Millianna asked, getting to her feet, letting go of what was happening in her room at the moment.

"As a matter of fact, yes!" Dori answered, raising a palm, " **Crystal Cataclysm!** " She unleashed a wave of crystals down the hallway, to which Millianna avoided.

Landing on her feet, she gave a sassy 'nya' to Dori before stating, "I won't make it easy for you, girly. You may look like Erzy-Werzy, but don't expect me to go easy on you." She thrust a palm forward, unleashing a stretch of orange tubing that came at Dori. She dodged to one side, leaping over her last attack, not taking her eyes of Millianna, who smirked back at her.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the Fairy Tail mages, Juvia, Sho, and Simon were racing up the stair that were outside the walls of the tower, with Simon and Palva in the lead. One knew the layout of the tower, while the other was starting to catch where Natsu was.

"It's still difficult, but I can tell Natsu is a bit higher up." Palva stated, looking at Simon to see his fingers on his temple, "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to get a communication link with Wally and Millianna. For some reason, it's being disrupted! I can't even tell where they are!"

"Communication?" Lucy echoed in confusion.

"It's a Telepathic Communication Magic, am I right?" Juvia realized, recalling when he saw him communicate with someone with the same hand gesture.

Meanwhile, Erza was slowing down to see Sho bring up the rear, still having a look of confusion on his face. "Are you all right, Sho?" she asked him.

"Yeah…" he answered, looking at Erza as he attempted a smile, "Everything's fine, now that you're here." Erza had to smile at this, before they went to catch up with the others.

Meanwhile, Gray whispered to those closest to him, "Hey, Juvia, Leon, are you sure we can really trust that guy? It's true that he deliberately avoided killing us, however…"

"I won't make excuses for my actions." Simon responded, surprising Gray that he was eavesdropping on their conversation, "Any person who couldn't survive that wouldn't stand a chance against Jellal. Dori was easily able to handle all four of us at once, and I am confident that Natsu was able to handle that attack."

"Oh, yeah? But what about me?" Lucy asked, seeing as he never mentioned her.

"You're fine. You've been around Natsu enough to deal with a lot." Palva muttered.

"Dori has reached levels that even surpass a mage saint." Simon continued, "And you people haven't realized the true potential of Natsu's power. When Natsu obtains the true power of the dragon, he will be at the same level as her!"

"But what about me?" Palva asked, "I possess the same magic as Natsu! Don't you think I can reach that same level?"

"That depends…" Simon answered, "You have been possessed by a demon that was made by Zeref for so long." The others seemed surprised at the level of information he had about them. "You may have the same magic as Natsu, but you still have a long way to go to overcome your past, and unlock the power within you." Palva looked down, wondering what he meant by that.

* * *

Back in the literal heat of battle, Natsu kept blocking Wally's block body attack with the stuffed cat, until it was worn out. He then tossed it to one side, and leapt up as more blocks came at him. " **Cat Fire!** " he shouted, igniting his fists into flames, and punching the blocks out of his way, causing more stuffed cats to go flying, damaged by the debris.

"Drat! Guess Jellal wasn't pulling my leg when he told me this cat's got some real claws!" Wally scowled, with only his head and shoulders the only things not part of his blocky attack, "Guess I'll have to try this!" Some of his blocks disappeared in a sparkling of light, forming a gun.

"I gotcha now, blockhead!" Natsu roared, coming at him with fiery fists. However, there was a bang, and Natsu was struck from behind. He fell to the ground, where he laid, seemingly unconscious.

"Heh! That'll keep you from screwin' around!" Wally chuckled, "My tranquilizer shots even put Erza down for a while. But it'll take less time for you to lick the pavement, if ya catch my drift!" He unleashed his blocks at Natsu, pummeling him into the air, still not enough to wake him up. Wally just grinned as he watched this.

Outside, Millianna shouted, " **Cat Tube!** " unleashing her tubing in a spiraling motion at Dori, who retaliated with Crystal Wall, blocking the attack from hitting her.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, kitty cat!" Dori retorted, stomping the ground to dislodge the crystal off the ground, before shoving it at Millianna with a magic circle. However, the cat girl had already moved away from that spot before she even launched it. Where was she? Appearing to the opposite side of the Crystal Cataclysm from Dori, unleashing another Cat Tube from her hand. Dori reacted in time to guard with her free hand, causing the binding to wrap around it.

"Nya! I got you now!" Millianna cheered, grabbing the tubing and holding tight.

"Oh, really? Just because you restrained my arm like this?" Dori asked.

"Not just that. Your magic is also bound by my Cat Tube, so while I have you tied, you won't be able to use your magic!"

"I see…" Dori understood, "So that's how you restrained my sister so easily." Of course that was how. Dori knew Palva wouldn't have gotten shoved onto that roller coaster without a fight. This girl's magic was quite tough.

"Now I'll makes sure to tie you up and turn you into a pretzel when I'm done with you!" Millianna told Dori, readying another magic circle underneath Dori, to make her have the same fate as Lucy before.

The scarlet-haired crystal mage reached down with her unrestrained hand, pulling out the crossbow strapped on her leg, and fired it on the tubing Millianna held onto. It snapped in half, and Dori backed off just as more tubing came out of the magic circle beneath her, nearly getting her. Millianna faltered, surprised that she could free herself so easily.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm prepared for all kinds of situations." Dori smirked, "Such as this…!" Dori placed a hand on one of the thorn-shaped pieces of crystal on the top of the crossbow, slamming it into place. The crossbow then transformed, and a crystal came out the end of it. With a slash, she cut herself free of the bindings, freeing her magic.

"Nya?!" Millianna gasped in shock, "No way! You shouldn't be able to use magic!"

"You're right, but Leon very talented in making magical weapons." Dori explained, holding her transformed weapon in front of her, "See, this weapon is called the Solskinn (Norwegian for 'Sunshine'). Not only does it work as a standard crossbow, but it stores my magic into it, allowing me to use it for certain occasions such as this. It may not be as strong as my usual magic, but I still perform a few tricks with it, even if you prevent me from using my innate magic. So then…" she swished her blade, readying herself against Millianna, "Any more tricks you got up your sleeves, kitty?" The cat girl hissed angrily at her taunt, irritated that her magic was countered by this weapon.

"Dori!" cried out a familiar voice. The two girls turned to see Happy and Pastry flying down the hallway towards them.

"Nya! Two cute kitty-witties!" Millianna cooed, completely forgetting about the fight for the moment.

"Oh, no! It's the crazy cat lady!" Happy exclaimed in shock.

"Happy, Pastry! Great to see you made it back." Dori greeted them in relief.

"Not really. We ended up getting turned around in this place trying to look for you." the ginger cat muttered, slightly humiliated at being lost.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Natsu's in the other room. Go help him out!" Dori ordered, pointing to the door to Millianna's room.

"Aye, sir!" Happy answered, flying past her.

"Shouldn't it be 'ma'am'?" Pastry corrected him, following in pursuit.

At this point, Natsu was on the ground, slightly battered from Wally's attack, but still having the cat head on, and still sawing logs.

"Might as well finish this up." Wally stated, forming himself together, and pointing his arm gun at Natsu, "Hope you're hungry, Salamander, cause you're about to eat lead." He listened for a response from Natsu, but all he heard was a deep snore coming from him. "Wait, you're still sleepin'?!" the blocky guy barked, "I get my tranquilizer shots are dandy, but how can anyone sleep through all that?! Well, it ain't gonna matter in a few seconds."

He stomped onto Natsu's cat head, pointing the gun at his forehead. "Ears up! I got a dandy new catchphrase I've been dying to try out!" he ordered the sleeping Dragon Slayer, giving a sinister look as he said this, "Too bad things had to end this way. But from the moment you met me-."

"Shut up!" Pastry and Happy came in, striking Wally in the back of the head with a spike ball attack and a whack of a fish, respectively. The impact sent the guy flying over Natsu, slamming head-first into the sofa on the other side.

"Natsu, are you okay?!" Happy asked, seeing the condition his buddy was in.

At the sound of a familiar voice, Natsu suddenly woke up abruptly as he stated, "Happy?! Is that you, buddy?"

"You betcha! I'm so glad you're safe!" the blue cat answered, then looked confused as he asked, "But what's up with the cat costume?"

"It's complicated, but thanks for the wake-up call!" he answered.

"No way! You woke up from your nap, just like that?!" Wally questioned, finding no logic in how Natsu was unable to wake up from being shot at repeatedly, but woke up easily from the blue cat's voice.

"Hey, cube-for-brains!" Pastry barked, and Wally saw him come at him from above, "You got a lot to answer for! **Mach Spike!** " Spinning fast, Pastry rocketed towards his target.

Wally dodged out of the way, then barked, "Look, you rat! No one interrupts Wally, and lives to tell the tale!" He fired his gun at Pastry, who moved too fast to be hit by his shots.

"I ain't no rat!" Pastry barked back, "Let me show you a little trick I have saved for punks like you…" He reached back and pulled off a couple pieces of his quill-like fur. "Taste my **Mane Daze!** " He threw the fur, which flew like tiny needles, striking Wally in the chest with them.

"Was that suppose to hurt, furball?!" the blockhead demanded, aiming his gun up at him, "Here, let me show you what lead feels like…" However, just before he could fire, he suddenly felt something. His vision was starting to become dizzy, seeing at least five of Pastry in front of him. He even started to become wobbly on his feet.

"Feeling a bit dizzy?" Pastry asked, "My quill-like fur has some extra qualities when I place my magic in them. Natsu, finish the job!"

"No problem!" Natsu answered, creating streams off flames from his arms. Wally was trying to focus, but was unable to as he saw the cat-head Dragon Slayer come at him.

Outside, Millianna hissed, "Time for this cat to come out of the bag! **Kitten Blast!** " Producing a magic circle with both hands, she unleashed a spiraling, shining pink tubing that went at Dori, who placed both hands on her Solskinn.

" **Lacrima Release: Wind!** " She chanted, implanting wind magic into the crystal blade, and making it glow with a white, whirling energy. In a pair slashes, she cut the oncoming attack, with the sharp winds coming from it breaking it even further, shocking Millianna.

"A word of advice, Millianna." Dori addressed the cat girl, leaping at her through the remains of the Kitten Blast, "Next time you try and hurt my sister…" She created a Crystal Pinnacle with her free hand, and hammered Millianna to the ground with it, "…make sure I'm not around to hear about it!"

At the same time, Natsu roared, " **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!** ", striking Wally and sending him flying in pain. He collapsed to the ground, groaning from the pain he felt. Both he and Millianna were down.

"Haha! You mess with the kitty, you get the claws!" Natsu cheered, giving a fist pump.

"Stop making stupid lines, and get that mask off…" Pastry retorted.

"Yeah, about that…" Natsu moaned, getting a sweat-dropped expression, remembering why he still had that thing on.

"How did you do that last attack, Pastry?" Happy asked, approaching him, "Do you think I can do that with my fur?"

"Nah, my fur is special." Pastry answered, "I've had a lot of experience in training with Leon and the others. Plus…I'm not 100% cat."

"Eh?!" Happy exclaimed, shocked at this news.

"Well, it seems like you guys were able to handle things here." Dori walked into the room, rolling her shoulder to loosen it.

"Yep! My revenge against the blockhead is complete!" Natsu answered, placing his fists on his hips.

"Same with me and the cat girl." Dori replied, "Now, let's get that thing off your head…"

* * *

Meanwhile, up at the top of the tower, Jellal sat in his throne chair, with a table that had what looked like a game board, hexagon in shape. It had several game pieces on it, each of which resembled a person that was in this tower. For him, there was a king. On the other side, there was a dragon for Natsu, a fish for Happy, a cut diamond for Dori, a hedgehog for Pastry, a key for Lucy, a blue ice piece for Gray, a knight for Erza, a red flame for Palva, a lion for Leon, a water jug for Juvia, a card for Sho, and a castle wall for Simon. Two pieces were knocked down; a cat for Millianna, and an archer for Wally.

Jellal looked at the gameboard, and smirked, before turning to a man who stood in the room. He had really long, dark hair that reached below his feet, a white, long-sleeved shirt with a white and black-trimmed vest, pants, and dark maroon gloves.

"It seems Sho and Simon have betrayed me." Jellal began, "And it appears that Millianna and Wally have been defeated by Salamander and the elder Himeka. This is how the game should be played. One-sided matches are just far too boring."

"But Master, we must proceed with the capture of Erza and begin the ritual." the man spoke, "There's no more time to play around."

"Then, do you want to give it a go, Vidaldus?" Jellal asked him.

The man called Vidaldus narrowed his eyes as he responded, "You will allow me?"

"It is our turn, after all…" Jellal answered, placing three new pieces down in front of the king piece; a guitar, a kimono girl, and an owl. Vidaldus smirked at this, and exerted a great amount of magic energy as his whole entire appearance changed. He and two others suddenly appeared in front of Jellal, who smirked at his new 'game pieces'.

The calm man who once stood in front of him before now had a look of a crazy rocker, with white skin and purple liner around his eyes and mouth, bearing spiked shoulder and arm guards, a bare chest with the words 'Skeleton' written across it, purple pants and armored boots.

Next to him was a beautiful female with long, tied pink hair, a white kimono with a red and black-striped band around the waist, decorated at the bottom with an emblem that looked like a cross between a flame and a skull, and open at the top, exposing a bit of her chest. She also had a black choker, sandals with very high red soles, and a long katana at her side.

The final person was a tall, very muscular figure, but who's head was that of a brown owl…literally an owl head. He was wearing nothing but tight green shorts, also having the same emblem on it as the woman's kimono, long, brown decorative wings underneath the shoulders, and a massive jet pack on his back.

"Assassins from the Death's Head Order." he greeted them, "Vidaldus Taka…"

"Go to hell! Yeah, that's right!" Vidaldus roared, his tone changed completely from before, "They can say their prayers, but they'll still be burnin' in hell tonight!"

"Fukuro…" Jellal continued, and the owl man twisted his head nearly upside down, hooting in response.

"And their leader, Ikaruga…" The woman smirked as she responded, "Perhaps it's the fate of both love and life to be broken asunder, isn't that right?" She closed her eyes as sakura petals suddenly produced about her, passing the trio as the bowed the Jellal. "The festival begins now. We are assassins from the Death's Head Order. Special Frontier Squad: Trinity Raven, at your service…"

"It's time you enter the fray." Jellal responded, watching the petals passing by him, "Go."

* * *

Down below, Pastry and Happy were grabbing ahold of Natsu's cat head by the ears, and pulling with all their might, while Dori held him in place by encasing his body in crystal from the shoulders down. She stood on the sidelines, watching the struggle with her arms folded over her chest.

"G-Guys! Give it a bit more strength!" Natsu strained, unable to move, and feeling like his head would rip off his neck.

"You don't think we're trying?!" Pastry barked back.

"We're pulling as hard as we can, here!" Happy exclaimed, tugging as hard as he could.

"You're gonna rip my head off!" Natsu screeched as they pulled harder.

"It's all for you own good, Natsu." Dori responded, irritated at this situation.

Finally, after a couple seconds, the two cats were finally able to pull the cat head off of Natsu, who grinned in relief as he exclaimed, "Sweet freedom!" The cat head flew out of the two cats' grip, surprisingly falling onto the head of the now-waking Wally, fitting perfectly on.

"Haha! Now it's now stuck on the blockhead!" Natsu laughed.

"I'm sensing a running gag here…" Dori muttered in a sweat-dropped expression.

"Forget that. How did it fit on his head in the first place?" Pastry asked.

Wally got back onto this feet, and with a strong twist and pull, he yanked the mask off of him as he barked, "This dance ain't over, Salamander. Same goes for you, girly!" He then grimaced in pain, as he felt the pain of Natsu and Pastry's attack come back to him, and he knelt over in pain.

"Well, I already got my payback." Natsu calmly told him.

"Same here. Let's get back with the others." Dori told the others, "Erza is with them, so we should meet up with them and leave while we still can." Happy and Pastry made noises of agreement.

"Talk all you want, but we're still gonna get to heaven." Wally growled, getting confused looks from the four, "Jellal told us we will finally have genuine freedom. In the world where palooka like us will be callin' the shots."

Natsu and Dori looked at each other, concerned. What did he mean by that? Going to heaven? Calling the shots? What did Jellal tell them?

Just then, they heard someone broadcasting their voice over the tower. "I welcome you to the Tower of Heaven." he greeted them all. Elsewhere, the remaining mages stopped in the hallway they were in, hearing the same voice.

"And there he is!" Wally exclaimed.

 _'That's Jellal, huh?'_ Dori wondered, looking up, _'His voice…it sounds exactly like Siegrain's voice.'_

Dori, Natsu and the cats raced out of the room, into the hallway near where Millianna was, looking up and about. They finally heard his voice coming from a statue in front of them, its' eyes glowing red. "My name is Jellal. I'm the ruler of this tower. I see all the pieces have been set."

"Say what?" Gray questioned. "Pieces?" Pastry echoed.

"It's Jellal. He can be heard from any place in the tower." Simon explained. Sho looked down, his face sweating, shuddering in fear.

"Isn't it about time to get started? Let us start the Heaven's Game." he declared.

"We ain't playing any of your games!" Natsu barked back at the statue.

Wally crawled out to join the others, but with a surprised look on his face as he asked, "What do you mean, Jellal?" Millianna slowly opened her eyes, hearing everything, as well.

"The rules are simple." Jellal began, "I wish to use Erza as a sacrifice in order to resurrect Lord Zeref." Everyone looked worried or serious at his blunt statement, while Sho's face gained anger as he growled, "No, I won't let you!"

"If I succeed, the Gates of Heaven will open, giving me my victory. However, if you can find a way to stop me, you will be the winners of the game. However, that alone wouldn't be interesting at all. So I have assembled three knights here to battle on my behalf."

"Three knights?" Simon questioned, "I wasn't aware of this. Who can they be?"

"If you cannot break through them, then there's just no way you can reach me." Jellal warned them, "In other words, it's a three vs. twelve Battle Royale."

"He must be counting on these three 'knights' to defeat all of us." Dori muttered, "Question is; how strong are they?"

"And one final surprise." Jellal continued, "It is highly probable that the Magic Council will launch an attack on this place through the Satellite Square, using the magic that reduces everything to nothingness: Etherion!"

The mages were in complete horror at this. They were planning to eradicate this tower with such a powerful magic attack?! And they weren't the only ones who were in shock.

"Hey! That wasn't in the deal!" Vidaldus barked at him, "If that thing hits us, we'll all be going to hell!"

"Now, now, Vidaldus." Ikaruga calmly retorted, "You wouldn't be having second thoughts, would you?"

Vidaldus gave a hand gesture, grinning as he answered, "Not on your life, boss! Finally! This is the rush I've been lookin' for! Nothin' like a dangerous thrill ride to get my blood pumpin'!"

Jellal grinned as he told everyone in the tower, "There's no telling how long we have left. But the moment Etherion is fired, that will be the end. The game will be over, with no players left."

"What kind of messed up game is this?!" Lucy questioned in horror.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Erza spoke in shock and confusion, "Why would the Magic Council resort to such drastic measures?!" Before anyone could give her a sound answer, someone else made a drastic move on them. Sho raised a palm, and in a blink of an eye, he encased Erza inside one of his magic cards, shocking the rest of the group with him.

"Erza!" Gray and Palva gasped. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Simon questioned his actions.

Jellal knew what had happened, but didn't care as he finished, "Now let the game begin." With that, everything went silent.

"I won't let him lay a finger on her!" Sho barked, his eyes delirious, "I'll beat Jellal all by myself if I have to!"

"Let me out of here!" Erza shouted, hammering on the wall of the card. Sho didn't care, as he raced back the way everyone came, with the team calling out for him to stop.

"Damn it!" Leon roared, racing after him first.

"No! You can't do it alone!" Simon followed him.

Back with the other four heroes, Natsu thumped his fiery fist into his palm, grinning as he stated, "Alright! I'm all fired up!"

"It's a race against an unknown amount of time." Dori summed up, "We have to stop Jellal before he gets Erza or the Etherion strikes."

"Jellal must be at the top of the tower, right?" Happy asked. "Seems like it." Pastry answered.

"But why would he do this to us?" Wally asked, getting their attention, "If they really fire that thing, it's gonna be curtains for everybody."

There was a sniffle near Dori, and she looked to Millianna, who had tear-strained eyes as she sobbed, "I…I don't wanna die like that. I just wanted to have the freedom Jellal told us we would have."

"We're all just a bunch of stupid kids, looking for our own little taste of freedom." Wally acknowledged.

There was a moment's pause as the two foolish mages whimpered or sobbed at the thought of dying. Then Natsu grinned as he stated, "I don't know what kind of freedom you all are looking for, but the freedom we have in Fairy Tail is pretty interesting, too."

Dori smiled and huffed, "True. If it wasn't for Fairy Tail, my sister and I wouldn't have had our own freedom, too. Instead of looking to kill others for your own freedom, then how about making friends that'll guide you to that path?"

Millianna and Wally were amazed at these two's words. Was their freedom really that good? Was it really the kind they were looking for?

"Hey, Happy! I'm not feeling this game, so how about we bend the rules?" Natsu asked, looking at the open window nearby.

"Aye, sir!" Happy answered, producing his wings. He grabbed Natsu's back as they leapt out the window, and Natsu unleashed flames from his feet to rocket themselves upwards. Dori was about to step out the window when she turned to the ginger cat and stated, "You'd better go and find the others. Make sure Erza is safe, okay? Be her wings of freedom."

"You got it!" Pastry saluted her, "But how are you gonna climb up this tower?"

The crystal mage placed a hand on the wall of the tower, and a large crystal formed for a foothold outside the window. "I got my own way to fly." she answered, stepping out and thrusting her fist out to her sides, producing a pair of Crystal Pinnacles from them. She then concentrated as she fused each of them with Wind Lacrima, making each of them glow with energy. She charged them both up, and in a powerful gust that broke the crystal beneath her, she shot up after Natsu, using her equipped crystals like wind boosters.

Wally walked up next to Pastry, watching the trio leave with a smile on his face. Those guys had not shown any signs of giving up at all. "Salamander…what a stand up guy…" he muttered. He then winced in pain and slowly fell back as he finished, "And that is…a dandy-lookin'…scarf."

Pastry looked at him, shaking his head at his last statement, then producing his wings as he flew over Millianna, who was trying to get back up.

"Please don't…get hurt, kitty-witty." she called up to him.

Pastry looked back at her, disliking the name she gave him, but smirked as he stated, "Trust me. Fairy Tail mages are like cats: We always land on our feet." And with that, he flew off, attempting to climb the tower to find the others.

"Let's skip ahead straight to the finish line!" Natsu roared, his fists in front of him. "Aye, sir!" Happy answered.

Dori was beneath him, following his fiery trail as she glared up towards the top of the tower. _'Jellal, this game ends now!'_ she declared in her mind.

* * *

 **Well, let the games begin! The Heaven's Game, or in Japanese 'The Game of Paradise', is underway, with everyone set in place to tackle each opponent. I am excited for writing all of this, as I'm sure all of you are expecting great battles ahead. I won't say how they will be adding to each battle, but I will tell who the opponents facing the Trinity Raven. Spoilers, so let's show you:**

 **Natsu, Dori & Gray vs. Fukuro**

 **Palva, Lucy & Juvia vs. Vidaldus**

 **Leon vs. Ikaruga**

 **You can see there are additions to each battle, but Leon is going mano to mano with the head of the Trinity? Why is that? Well, you'll have to find out about that. The next battle may take a while, since it's the holidays, but I hope to get it done ASAP. As always, leave a reply, like my work, tell your friends, and wait for the next chapter!**


	16. Himeka Sisters are Struggling!

**Previously on Fairy Tail:**

 _(Palva speaking)_ Our team arrived at the Tower of Heaven in order to rescue Happy and Erza from a group of mages that were once friends of Erza. Once there, we reunited with Erza, who told us of her connection to the tower and her friends. It turns out, she was a slave to this tower, and eight years ago, she started a rebellion against their captures in order to save her dear friend, Jellal, and gain their freedom. However, by the time she reached him, Jellal had become corrupted and evil, and he sent Erza away from the tower, threatening to kill her friends if she were to return. Sho arrived, believing the story Erza gave was a lie, but Simon believed it, and both he and Sho joined our cause to stop Jellal.

Meanwhile, my brother and sister went to find Happy and Pastry higher up, and got into a battle with Wally and Millianna, respectively, and beat the two while finding the cats. However, things had to get worse when Jellal announced a thing called 'the Heaven's Game', with the twelve of us facing against three 'knights' of his choosing to stop us from reaching him. Sho went delirious and placed Erza into a card, and now we're trying to stop him before he does anything stupid. My sister, Natsu and Happy are flying up the outside of the tower to Jellal, but I'm not sure it's gonna be that easy to reach him. Please, be safe, you guys!

* * *

Natsu was tearing up the Tower of Heaven, with the combined strength of Happy and flames at his feet. Dori was not far behind, using wind magic-embedded crystals encasing her fists. The two were making good headway as they kept climbing. However, something far in the horizon was about to interfere with their path.

Natsu sensed something far in the horizon, and he stopped himself in midair. Dori reached his side, holding herself in the air with her wind crystals. "Something's coming this way!" Natsu growled.

"Yeah. I sense the magic." Dori responded, narrowing her eyes.

The trio heard what sounded like an owl hooting. A second later, they saw the culprit who was making the hooting, and they could see an owl man rocketing towards them at high speeds, using the jet pack on his back. The two mages reacted just in time, pulling themselves out of the way as the man came in between them. He circled around, and came at them again, aiming for Natsu. Happy tied to fly as fast as he could, but the owl man was too fast. He got right above them, and with a large knuckle, punched them right into the tower of heaven, breaking through the structure.

"Natsu! Happy!" Dori gasped in horror, and was about to go to them. However, the owl man appeared out of nowhere, getting right in front of her, and slamming a fist into her, sending her flying backwards, away from the tower. She caught herself with her wind crystals, stabilizing herself in the air. She glared as the man floated in midair, his arms folded across his chest.

"I will not tolerate the breaking of rules!" the owl man barked at her, "I shall pass judgement upon you in the name of justice!"

"And you are you to spout about justice in a place like this?!" Dori questioned him, using her wind crystals to rocket herself at him.

"I am the knight of true justice, Fukuro! Ho-hoo!" the owl man introduced himself, " **Justice Ho-Ho-Hou!** " He unleashed a punch encased in bright energy. Dori roared as she punched with her right wind crystal. The collision of their attacks created an explosion, with the result of Dori being sent flying, her right crystal shattered. She braced herself in the air with her other wind crystal, barely sustaining herself in midair.

"Nothing can overcome the righteous fist of justice! Ho-hoo!" Fukuro declared triumphantly.

"Damn, he's good…" Dori growled, waving her right hand forward, "Then let's try this! **Crystal Barrage!** " She fired off a series of magic crystals from her palm at Fukuro, who called out, " **Thrusters!** ", igniting his jet pack again, and launching into the air to avoid the attack.

"Now's my chance!" Dori barked, pouring all the Wind lacrima into her remaining Crystal Pinnacle, and shooting herself towards the tower. _'I have to make it to the tower!'_ she told herself, _'If I don't…!'_

Fukuro was moving incredibly fast, but was still able to maneuver himself around the air, coming back at Dori as he shouted, "Nothing gets past me! Justice will never let you prevail! Ho-hoo!" The Crystal mage turned to see him slam a fist onto her back, causing her to gag and fall downwards, her other Crystal Pinnacle shattering.

Barely holding onto consciousness, she was able to sense in time Fukuro approaching her, grabbing her by the leg, and yanking her up into the air. "As someone who had defended a high-bounty criminal for so long, I cannot allow you to end until you are righteously punished for your actions!" the owl man barked, "Prepared to taste the full fury of justice! Ho-hoo!" He chased after her, and started to circle every which way around her, unleashing blow after blow on her, while Dori could do nothing but struggle to hold onto her life.

 _'I can't do anything here!'_ she strained to think as she kept getting hit every which way, _'This guy's Jet Magic is a real pain! I…need to get some solid ground on my feet! But I used up a lot of my wind lacrima inside of me. I need a plan!'_ She tried to think through the pain, as Fukuro used the combination of his jet and strength to deal a powerful uppercut that sent Dori upwards, on level with the hole made by Natsu and Happy. She then gained an idea, one that might just give her a chance.

Mustering her strength, she flipped herself in the air, pointing her palms away from the Tower of Heaven. "Oh, please let this work…" she prayed, " **Lacrima Release: Fire!** " Creating a blast of flames, she sent herself flying towards the tower, barely avoiding Fukuro's next attack, and going towards the hole.

A minute before, In a tall room filled with large hanging bird cages and rusted chains holding them all about, Simon had just entered in just as Natsu and Happy crashed through the wall, landing on top of one of the hanging cages. "Man, what the heck was that?" Natsu moaned as he got back up.

"Salamander!" Simon called out, getting the two's attention.

"Huh? Who the heck's yellin' at me now?" Natsu asked.

"Natsu! You'd better watch out for this guy! He's one of the blockhead's friends!" Happy warned him.

"Oh, yeah? So you're one of Jellal's subordinate?" Natsu questioned with a glare.

"You're wrong! I'm your ally!" Simon defended himself, "I was just pretending to be deceived by Jellal! All in order to stop him."

"I don't believe you!" Happy hissed, but Natsu retorted, "Wait. Is that really the truth?"

"Yeah." Simon answered simply.

Natsu took a couple seconds, noticing the honesty in his tone, and believing him. "So who is this creep, Jellal? What's his objective in setting up this stupid game in the first place?"

"He's got a twisted sense of humor. He's the younger twin of a member of the Magic Council, Siegrain." Simon explained, "He must have figured that the Council would resort to using Etherion."

"So this is all just a fight between two brothers?" Natsu questioned in exasperation.

"I'm not sure. Even I don't have a single clue about what happened between them."

Suddenly, the team could hear the sound of battling outside the hole, and they all turned towards it.

"Dori must be fighting whatever hit us out there." Natsu assumed.

"Betcha she's mopping the floor with that guy!" Happy guessed with confidence, "She's really tough! She can beat it!"

A second later, they got their answer when they saw something fly through the hole with a fiery blaze, bouncing off of one of the cages, and landing onto a cage below. Natsu, Happy and Simon were all shocked to see Dori, covered in bruises and injuries.

"Dori!" Natsu gasped. "What?!" Happy exclaimed, shocked to see her in such a condition.

"I don't understand. How can she be this badly damaged?" Simon asked as Dori struggled to get to her feet.

"Just…barely…" Dori moaned, panting from exhaustion.

"Hey, you okay?!" Natsu asked, leaping down to the cage she was on, with Happy in pursuit.

"Somehow…" Dori answered, "But, this guy… He's good. His magic…brings out my magic's weakness." Natsu was shocked at this. Never did he think he would hear Dori state that she actually had a weakness.

Just then, they heard the sound of an owl's cry, and they looked up to see Fukuro enter into the building, landing on one of the cages streaming the room. Happy exclaimed in horror, while Simon gasped, "No, it can't be!"

"A clever trick you pulled, Crystal Mage, but you cannot escape me!" he barked, "Now, I will judge you and those around you in the name of justice!"

"A bird?!" Happy exclaimed. "Some kind of justice bird!" Natsu added.

"He calls himself Fukuro." Dori grimaced, "He uses Jet Magic, from what I can see, so don't let him get you in the air!"

"This is bad!" Simon growled, summoning a magic circle, " **Dark Moment!** " All of a sudden, everything went black, causing the trio of mages to be blinded by darkness.

"Oh, great! Now I can't even see!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I must be that guy's darkness magic again!" Dori assumed.

"I told you this guy was our enemy!" Happy retorted.

"Now's your chance!" the team heard Simon's voice, "Run away! Don't engage him in combat!" The trio felt someone gripping their shoulders, about to get them to safety.

Simon, who was the one carrying them, sensed Fukuro circling around him. "I, Fukuro the Just, can see through the darkness! **Justice Ho-ho-hoot!** " With a shining punch, Simon was shot into the air, hitting the wall, and landing on his belly on a hanging cage. "How was that?" the owl man asked, tilted his head 90 degrees.

"Hey, are you alright?!" Natsu called out to Simon.

Simon grimaced as he glared up at Fukuro. "This power… He must be one of the assassins from the Death's Head Order."

"So he's from an Assassin Guild." Dori understood, "That explains his strength."

"So assassin's have guilds, too?!" Happy exclaimed.

"It is one of the Dark Guilds." Simon explained, "They don't get themselves involved in common job. They're the worst kind of guild that specializes only in assassination requests. The mages we're up against are known as Trinity Raven. They're the press who assassinated every officer from the Western Army in the Cabria War!"

"So you're telling me this bird-brain is some sort of super-killer?!" Happy panicked.

"Ho-hoo! All evil must be eliminated!" Fukuro hooted at them.

"They're professional assassins! You cannot defeat them!" Simon harshly warned them.

"Tch! Like I haven't dealt with several Assassin Guilds in the Western Continent." Dori replied, glaring at the owl man, "Though, to be fair, this one is one of the tougher ones."

Fukuro flew up next to Natsu as he started, "Salamander! Your acts of malice have reached our guild. And just like Dori Himeka, you aided the criminal, Fire Demon Palva, from not being righteously punished. It is my duty, as a knight of justice, to see you two are punished!"

This made the two mages snap in rage. Dori unleashed her Second Origin just as Natsu ignited flames in his hands. "Don't you dare call my sister a criminal!" Dori roared at him, "She was a victim of her own magic!"

"Guilds are places where trust and dreams are shared together." Natsu stated, "They are not a place for doing malicious deeds!"

"No! Don't do it, you two!" Simon called out to them, "You can't fight against members of an Assassin's Guild!"

"Shut up, darkness mage!" Dori barked at him, "You have no right to warn me about anything when you kidnapped and hurt my friends! Besides, I already said that I have faced plenty of assassins like them before. This guy will be no different!"

"I never liked those requests from people who want to commit murder." Natsu growled, the flames from his hand getting hotter and hotter as he spoke, "It pisses me off that there are people who take them. It pisses me off that there are guilds for it. And because they piss me off, I will blow them away! So bring it on, birdbrain!"

Fukuro wasn't fazed by either Dori or Natsu's threats or magic, as he stated, "The two of you are still so naive. There are evils in this world that cannot be left alive! **Thrusters!** " He readied his jetpack's engines as he declared, "The two of you are ones that should perish! **Jet Ho-Ho-Hoot!** " he went for Natsu in blinding speeds, catching him with his fist and sending him flying all over the tall room.

"Natsu!" Happy cried out.

"No you don't!" Dori roared, using Crystal Launcher to launch herself into the air landing on one of the large, rusty chains, and raced along it.

"There's no way I'm gonna lose to fire, ya dodo bird!" Natsu barked, grabbing the fist he was being pushed by, and swinging it to the bottom of one of the cages. The attack barely fazed Fukuro as he reactivated his Thrusters, coming at Natsu, who landed on another cage. He tried leaping over him, but got caught by the leg as the owl man carried him upwards, swung him around, and crashed onto the top of the cage again.

"Natsu!" Happy cried, coming up to him. Natsu grimaced as he got back up, "Now that hurt…"

"Two can play at that game!" Dori shouted, and Fukuro turned in time to see her riding a large, elongating crystal she was forming from the wall, aiming at him. Fukuro flew upwards to avoid the attack. Dori used both hands as she unleashed a storm of Crystal Barrages, trying to shoot down Fukuro, but he was too fast. He ended up getting underneath and with a Justice punch, broke the crystal underneath Dori, sending her upwards.

"Dori!" Happy and Natsu cried. Dori grimaced in pain, but grabbed the chain above her, swinging herself onto it. "That was not pleasant." she muttered.

"Impressive. You two are a lot more enduring than I thought you would be." Fukuro stated, flying in between the two injured mages, "This will be a rare job indeed; one worth doing, hoo-hoot!"

"Trinity Raven… They're even beyond the rumors…" Simon muttered in fear, losing hope, "And now there are three of them?" His heart just couldn't see any hope of defeating the man before him. To Jellal, he was defeated, and that left Natsu and Dori to struggle against the flying menace before them.

* * *

Meanwhile, the team of Lucy, Palva and Juvia were standing in the middle of a room, with several large holes that went to different parts of the tower. They were calling out to Natsu and Dori, trying to get a response.

"His ears are really sharp, so he should have heard us by now." Lucy muttered.

"So he's just like Gajee and Palva, right?" Juvia questioned, "His nose is quite strong, too."

"Gajee?" Lucy echoed the pet-name for Gajeel.

"It must be a Dragon Slayer trait." Palva assumed, sniffing about, "Still, it's hard to find either Dori or Natsu's scent here, let alone Natsu's flames. This tower just has a funky smell to it, and it gets stronger the higher we climb."

"I wonder why I have to search alongside Palva and this blonde bimbo in the first place." Juvia muttered.

"Give me a break! It's not like I wanna work with you, either!" Lucy retorted.

"Do you still have a problem with me?" Palva questioned irritably looking at her, and seeing the blush marks on her face, then realizing, "…and she gone to la-la land, thinking about Gray."

A while ago, the team was still in pursuit of Sho and Erza, Gray ordered the three of them to search for Natsu and Dori. However, in Juvia's mind, he was a bit more sweet-talking to her.

"I would do anything to help my beloved Gray, but doesn't he realize leaving two love rivals is a recipe for a blood-bath?" Juvia questioned.

"I already told you so many times, I'm not interested in that guy!" Lucy retorted, "Can we drop this?!"

"I think I'm here as the mediator between you two…" Palva muttered in awkwardness.

Just then, the two heard something loud and heavy, like a motor engine starting, only it had a musical tone. It was coming from one of the holes behind them. "What's that sound?" Lucy questioned, "Is that a guitar?"

"Gah! It's hurting my ears!" Palva exclaimed, clasping her hands over her sensitive ears. Lucy was doing the same thing.

"I actually think it sounds pretty cool." Juvia stated, not fazed by the music.

"Seriously, something is wrong with you." Lucy muttered at her.

As two of the three braced their ears against the increasingly loud music, they could see a figure walking out of the large hole, revealing one of Jellal's knights, Vidaldus Taka, playing an electric guitar so heavily. He was playing a power metal tune from it as he walked and stopped. Then he swung his incredibly long hair around in a whip-like circle, his expression insane, screaming along with his music, which was amplified thanks to the room they were in. He then made one final shout as he played the last powerful notes on his guitar, and the music stopped. He looked insanely at the trio as he questioned, "Did you chicks dig my destruction solo?! Ye-e-e-eah!" He stated the last word with a flail of his tongue.

"Check out the hair!" Lucy cried out.

"The hair?! This guy's entire features a freak of nature!" Palva barked at her, her ears still ringing from the noise.

"Flattery won't do you any good, kiddie!" Vidaldus retorted, "I'm an assassin from the Death's Head Order. Pretty rockin' name, right?! It means skull, get it?"

"I take it you're one of the three knights Jellal spoke of?" Juvia asked, as Palva shook her head, clearing her ears.

"I'm the wing of the Trinity Raven!" Vidaldus stated, playing a power chord, "When they scream 'Vidaldus Taka', they're talking about me!" His eyes flashed as he shouted, "Rock ya!" His hair, as crazy as it was, extended and fanned outwards, twisting into whips, and crashing down onto the three. Lucy panicked as she darted out of the way. Palva leapt over all the attacks with her powerful jumps. Juvia didn't do anything as the hair whipped right through her body, catching the eye of the rocker's attention.

"Woah! That's one crazy body you got there!" Vidaldus stated, retracting his hair as he laughed maniacally.

"My body is made of water. Drip, drip, drop." Juvia muttered as Palva landed on the ground next to her.

"Alright, you guys! It's up to you!" Lucy whimpered, her hands clamped over her ears.

"You are seriously pathetic right now, Lucy!" Palva barked at her while Juvia had water surrounding her body.

"Your physical attack cannot work on me." the rain woman stated, waving her hand forward, " **Water Lock!** "

The water came at Vidaldus as he misheard her words and asked, "Rock? You a rocker, too?" Before he could say anything more, he got encased in a Juvia's sphere of water, intending to drown him.

"Is that all you got?" Juvia asked him.

"As expected from a former member of the Element 4!" Lucy praised her, "You would be real scary as an enemy…"

"That seemed…way too easy…" Palva muttered, cautious about this. He went down too easily. Her cautions suddenly came into fruition as Vidaldus suddenly looked like he was drowning, to grinning mischievously. All of a sudden, his hair started to absorb the water encasing him, until the Water Lock was totally sucked up into it. Then with a whip of his hair, he flicked off any remaining drops on it.

"My Water Lock just disappeared!" Juvia gasped.

"Where did all that water go?" Lucy asked in a creeped-out manner.

"It looked like he absorbed it with his hair!" Palva noticed, "But how is that possible?!"

"It feels great to wash your hair with water in the morning." Vidaldus stated, "But shampooing every day will ruin your hair."

"Bastard, how did you disengage my Water Lock?!" Juvia questioned harshly.

"My hair can absorb liquid." the rocker answered, "But no oil or alcohol, since my due will be messed up."

"Water has no effect?" Juvia asked, realizing the disadvantage she was in.

At this, Palva's feet ignited in flames as she readied her lance and growled, "Well, if water won't work, then what about fire?!" She launched herself at Vidaldus as she shouted, " **Fire Dragon's Talon!** " The rocker played a power chord with his guitar, screaming as he did so. The sound waves caused Palva to falter in midair, then get carried upwards by the attack.

"You kids should just leave and let the adults have their fun!" Vidaldus retorted, and with a roar, he unleashed his hair up at Palva, coming at from all sides.

"Watch out!" Lucy cried. "Palva!" Juvia exclaimed.

"I'm not a kid!" Palva barked, twirling her lance, and in a couple fiery swishes, she slashed any strands of hair that came close to her, "I'm the Fire Dragon Dragoon! And you're gonna burn in Hell!" She unleashed her breath attack down at Vidaldus, who took a leap back, avoiding the oncoming flames that hit the ground and went all over, causing Lucy and Juvia to fall back.

"Well, ain't you a rebel! Gotta say, I dig chicks who are like that!" Vidaldus snickered as Palva landed on the ground, "You might have a rocker soul in you, after all!"

"Shut it! I can't stand that crazy crap you call music! It makes my ears bleed!"

"Ooh, feisty!" the rocker stated, "You know what, I was interested in those two hot little numbers behind you, but I can see your soul's even hotter than that! So today, I'm gonna make you my succubus!"

"Wait, what?" Palva questioned, confused.

"What does he intend to do to Palva?" Juvia questioned him.

Vidaldus started to play a melody on his guitar, which started to activate strangely on him as he shouted, " **Rock of Succubus!** " He was lifted off his feet as a powerful purple stream of energy came from the exhaust pipes on the guitar, encasing a shocked Palva.

"Wh-what are you doing to me?!" she demanded in shock, feeling her body and mind starting to act strangely from the sound.

"Palva!" Lucy and Juvia cried out, trying to get to her, but the magic of the attack was pushing them back.

"Stop! No, stop!" Palva screamed, her body being encased in the magic energy, "Guys, help me! YAAAAAAAAAH!" Her scream was the last thing they heard before there was a bright light that blinded the two other girls.

After the bright light, the two girls saw mist covering the area, looking at the spot where Palva was. "Palva!" Lucy cried out. "Are you okay?!" Juvia called out, worried for her friend.

"She's my slave now, babes." Vidaldus told the two as the mist cleared. What they saw was something horrifyingly wrong. Palva had changed drastically in her appearance. Her hair had smoothed out and fell down her back to chest-level, her eyes were blank, and she wore dark purple lipstick. Her petite figure had a skimpy black top, held together by strings at the bottom, tight, dark red leather pants, white shoes, a white belt with a gold buckle, a spiked bracelet on her right hand, her lance on her other hand, and a necklace of thorns around her neck. She also had a strange, dark purple mark on her midriff.

She turned to the two with a mischievous grin as she snickered, "I'm gonna take the two of you straight to Hell! Say your prayers, if you want, but you're still burnin' in hell tonight!" She cackled as she had a demented expression on her face, while the other two were looking back with a mixture of fear and worry.

"What did that guy do to her?" Lucy asked, scared.

"She's…possessed by his magic…" Juvia noticed, equally as scared.

Vidaldus snickered as he played a power chord on his guitar, causing a sound wave to encompass the room. However, unlike before, Palva wasn't plugging her ears to it. She was actually enjoying it as she shouted, "Hell, yeah! That's my kind of rockin' vibe!"

"So loud!" Lucy moaned, plugging her ears.

"Palva seems to enjoy that music now." Juvia noticed, seeing her flailing her body just like the guy who got her this way, "Could this be what's causing her to act this way?! Palva, please come to your senses!"

"Don't waste your breath! Any woman who becomes my succubus will only obey to my commands!" Vidaldus shouted, stopping his playing for a moment to add, "However, brainwashing two or all three of you would have made the game much less interesting. She may not be as sexy as the two of you, but she has a Hell burnin' soul! Might as well and get you chicks into a cat fight! Shredded clothes, hair pullin', and some down and dirty action!"

"Palva would never do such a thing!" Juvia retorted.

"You're a real sicko!" Lucy growled.

"Oh, yeah?! You really know how to sweet talk to me, baby!" Vidaldus stated, playing a power chord on his guitar, creating fiery sparks came from the exhaust pipes.

"If you two ain't ready to rock, then prepare to get the burnin' of your life!" Palva roared, flipping in the air towards them, and slamming feet first on the ground, creating a ring of fire that encased Juvia and Lucy, causing the two to go back to back.

"This heat is too much!" Lucy groaned, already starting to sweat.

"I can stop it!" Juvia declared, whipping her hands. She created a stream of water that ripped around, countering the flames encasing them, creating steam.

"Thanks, Juvia!" Lucy thanked the girl next to her.

"Don't thank her, yet!" she heard Palva shout, and she looked up to see the music-possessed Dragon Slayer come down from the sky, landing in front of Lucy. "That dress of yours covers up too much of that hot body you got. Time for some skin!" She slashed a few times with her chest, slashing Lucy's dress up, exposing her top half. The Celestial mage screamed in embarrassment as she covered up her exposed chest.

"Palva! What are you doing?!" Juvia questioned her actions.

Palva didn't answer, but instead came around to get in front of her. "Now it's your turn, Raindrop!" she snickered, slashing her hat off her head, "You gonna burn way too fast with all those layers! We can't have that, now can we?"

"No!" Juvia cried out, unleashing a torrent of water that sent Palva flying backwards, skidding to a halt.

"What are you doing?!" Lucy asked her, tying the remaining piece of her dress into a makeshift top, shocked to see her attack Palva.

"I did that as lightly as I could." Juvia assured her, then to Palva, "Please, Palva! You got to snap out of it!"

"Oh, yeah! We're really rockin'!" Vidaldus shouted, playing his guitar like crazy, "But I want more down and dirty action! Give me some screams! Show me your burnin' rock!"

Palva cackled as she ignited her body in flames. "Guess it's time to turn up the heat!" she roared, " **Fire Dragon's Sword-Horn!** " She shot at the two girls, aiming specifically at Juvia.

"Juvia, watch out!" Lucy cried, racing to her. Juvia didn't answer, but readied herself as her body turned into water. Palva went right through her, her flames around her dwindling a bit from the water. Lucy panicked as she was in the way, and got struck hard by Palva, screaming in pain.

"Lucy!" Juvia gasped, realizing she unintentionally allowed Palva to hit her.

"You just made me lay the smack down on blonde. That ain't nice." Palva retorted, her eyes glaring back at her, "You should get punished for that!" She reached back, grabbing Juvia by the hair, causing her pain. She threw Juvia over her shoulder, landing right on top of Lucy. She opened her hand out, dropping any hairs that she still held.

"Are you okay, Juvia?" Lucy questioned as the two got back up to their feet.

"I am, but Palva's incredibly strong for her size." Juvia stated, "We can't let that guy keep controlling her! We have to stop her!"

"Yeah! Burn these ladies in hell, kiddy!" Vidaldus shouted, whipping his hair around as he continued to play, "Give me some roastin' and rockin'!"

"Yeah, baby! Let's see your water protect my Hell-burnin' fire!" Palva shouted, and on her last word, unleashed her Fire Dragon's Roar at the two girls. Lucy grabbed Juvia, and pulled her out of the way, barely avoiding the attack. However, the end of Lucy' skirt caught fire, and she panicked as tried waving it off.

"Aw, man! If this keeps up, I'll be left with nothing but my birthday suit!" Lucy exclaimed.

"We can't have that." Juvia muttered, sending some water along Lucy's bottom half to snuff out the water, "It's bad enough you are my love rival. The last thing my beloved Gray needs is to see you without anything."

"Is this really the time to talk about this?!" Lucy barked, "I'm not interested in him! Let's focus on saving Palva!"

"Agreed." Juvia answered, whipping her hands out to unleash water about her, "We cannot kill her, but we can at least try to stop her. I'll put her in my Water Lock." She unleashed her water towards Palva, ready to encase her. However, the little Dragon Slayer turned up the heat, and with a powerful wave of flames, dissolved the water coming around her, shocking Juvia and Lucy.

"That little parlor trick won't work on hell flames like mine!" Palva roared, "Just for that, I'm gonna make you girls scream until you're hoarse in the mouth! **Fire Dragon's Whip!** " She unleashed a stream of flames from her hand, whipping it at the two girls. Lucy got smacked around a few times from the attack, squealing in pain, while Juvia's watery body was unaffected by it.

"I love those screams! Aw, yeah!" Vidaldus cheered, "But there ain't much comin' from the water chick! Crank up the heat, and lay the burn on her!" He unleashed a power chord from his guitar at these last words.

"Palva, you got to get out of his control!" Juvia called out to her in desperation as the possessed girl readied her Fire Dragon's Whip, intensifying the heat.

"Let's see your water dodge the heat of Hell!" Palva roared, cracking the whip at Juvia. This time, the attack was hot enough to prevent Juvia's body from avoiding it, and it struck her hard, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Juvia!" Lucy cried out, trying to get up off the ground, but the constant attacks she took was making it difficult to move. She could only watch as Juvia kept getting whipped over and over again, the pain of the whip plus the burns it left behind adding up on her.

"Oh, yeah! Keep that hot rhythm comin'! Real hardcore rock n' roll!" Vidaldus cheered.

"You like that?!" Lucy barked at him angrily, then saw Juvia collapse to her hands and knees, and her worries to her resurfaced as she called out, "Juvia, please stay strong!"

The rain woman was panting heavily as she looked up at Palva, muttering, "Palva, I know you wanted to be friends with me again, but this isn't the way to do it!"

"Shut up, and burn!" Palva roared, twirling her lance around, creating a fiery tornado above her, "Don't you know listening to the same song can get boring?! And when things get boring, there ain't no other remedy for it than to make it burn in Hell!" She swung her spinning lance, sending the fiery tornado forward, catching Juvia within it. Lucy narrowly avoided getting hit head-on by it, but turned in horror to see Juvia getting hit by the attack.

Inside the cyclone of flames, Juvia was enduring as best as she could, but she was sweating quite a bit from the heat. _'It's no use! I can't seem to reach her!'_ she pondered to herself, _'That man has her under his control! I can't produce any water in here to stop it!'_

Just then, she noticed Palva's figure rushing into the cyclone, her lance at hand. The Rain Woman can see her glowing eyes coming at her, and her mind immediately went back to their last fight. The horrors of that day when she fought Palva, who was also out of control back then. She couldn't do anything to stop her back then, and she couldn't do anything to stop her now. She was scared and helpless against her.

"Can you feel it? The flames of Hell all around you?!" Palva questioned her, "You ain't got a prayer in the world to escape this place! But don't worry, cause I'm not gonna prolong your pain any longer!" She readied her lance as she got close, "I'm gonna send you straight to hell right now!" The dragon fang of her lance ignited in flames, and Juvia could tell she was gonna slice her in two with that weapon. She could hear Lucy's pleads to Palva to stop. Vidaldus cackling at the intensity of the moment. She could feel her heart pounding from fear and terror. The end was near. She closed her eyes as Palva swung…but didn't feel death coming.

She slowly opened her eyes again, and saw that her watery body had somehow avoided the attack. Startled, she looked to Palva, who was just as shocked as her. "I said, burn in hell!" She swung her lance again, the tip in flames, but it died the moment it made contact with Juvia's watery body. "Come on, burn!" Palva roared, and she swung her lance over and over again, each strike fazing through Juvia's watery body. The Rain woman was perplexed at this, unable to figure this out. She could clearly kill her right now. All she had to do was intensify the flames on her lance, just like she was doing with the flames around them. However, they seem to cool off enough before they made contact.

"Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn!" Palva roared angrily, trying to get the flames on her Dragonic Fang hot enough to hit her.

 _'Don't burn!'_

Juvia was startled as Palva's echoing voice called out from the girl in front of her, though she personally didn't say it. It was as if she was calling into her mind. "Palva?" she tried calling the voice back.

 _'I…made a promise to you, Juvia!'_ Palva called out, _'I promised…that I wouldn't burn you again! I can't let myself do that to you again!'_ Juvia blinked, recalling back on the beach, when Palva was apologizing to her for scaring her back in their last battle, and vowed not to burn her again.

 _'I already broke that promise, didn't I?'_ Palva's voice quivered with slight sobs, _'I'm trying so hard to get control of myself, but that guy's music is making it difficult! This sucks! My flames are being controlled once more!'_

"What?" Juvia asked, hearing the last two words in confusion.

 _'I wasn't in control of my flames back then. It was a demon that was making them go haywire!'_ Palva explained, surprising Juvia, _'Now, I'm being controlled by another guy, and hurting my friends once more. I…I feel so helpless! I'm so sorry, Juvia! I'm hurting you and Lucy, two people I consider great friends, and it's out of my control! I'm frightening you into not being my friend anymore!'_

Juvia felt so bad for Palva right now, seeing her voice in such anguish. She looked down at the Palva attacking her, who had backed off to catch her breath. She panted as she looked at her with anger, and Juvia could see the tears forming in her eyes. She was crying.

 _'It's always been like this in the past. I have hurt so many people. Killed so many without intending to. I could never get a friend in my life because of my flames.'_ Palva continued, _'But I met Fairy Tail, and gained so many new friends, who were kind and caring, and willing to protect me. They were like a flickering flame of hope that entered into my heart. So when I was free from my curse, I wanted to make new friends, like you, who I have harmed, and see if we couldn't start over. But who would want someone who is easily controlled by others? Who would want someone who's flames constantly take away any chances of gaining new friends?'_

Even Juvia started to tear up. Deep down, she could understand the same feelings Palva had. All the times she had been stalking Gray, she had also been watching Fairy Tail itself. It was such a warm, joyous and kind guild, and one that was able to welcome anyone with open arms, like Palva. They were like a warm sun that shined through the rain. She never knew guilds like that could exist.

And back then, after the fight between her and Palva on the giant, she could feel the sorrow and pain that Palva though her words, and heard the drastic, yet positive change when they next met. In truth, she wanted to be her friend again, and still wanted to, now.

"Now, Palva! It's time for the big finalé, baby!" Vidaldus screamed

In reality, Palva grabbed Juvia by the arm with her bare hand, and with a kick, she sent her through the fiery vortex. She cried out in pain from the flames burning her as she landed right next to Lucy.

"Juvia!" Lucy cried out, coming next to her as Palva landed right in front of Vidaldus, grinning. "You ready to be rocked?!" Palva called out to the two, her feet scorching with flames.

"Please, talk to me!" Lucy begged to Juvia as she got back up.

"You are wrong, Palva…" the rain woman started, catching Palva's attention, "I may have been afraid of your flames before, but…I can't be afraid of them, now. Because I still want to be your friend!" Palva was shocked at these words, but deep down, she was touched by what she said.

"You wish for a second chance with being friends with me? Well, I want to be friends with you, Lucy, and everyone in Fairy Tail." Juvia told her, "I know you are supporting me to be with Gray, and I know Lucy also loves him…"

"Yeah, not really…" Lucy sighed.

"…But even so, I'm just like you; Fairy Tail is a place I wish to be at as well! You said that your flames were controlled by a demon before. You can overcome this control, as well! Palva, I know this because you are my friend!" The words hit Palva in the heart, and it even caused her to shed some tears at this, feeling the care that Juvia had for her.

"What a load of crap!" Vidaldus scoffed, "I told you, she only obeys my words and my rocks, alone! Palva, baby, let's send these two chicks to Hell in a blaze of glory!" He played his guitar once more, entrancing Palva in its' music.

"Oh, I will!" she answered, crouching down as the flames around her feet burned hotter and encased her body, "My Fire Dragon's Pounce is gonna burn these two chicks into the wall so hard, they'll turn to ash!"

"Palva, you got to fight it!" Juvia shouted to her, spreading her hands out, "I know, deep down, you can control yourself"

"She's right! Compared to Ashes, this should be nothing!" Lucy added, standing next to Juvia, "Break through, Palva! You have the same fire in your belly as Natsu! You're stronger than this!"

"COME BACK TO US, PALVA!" the two shouted to the possessed Dragon Slayer, who's eyes flashed at these words. The flames around her were burning so hot, they were starting to go white. She pressured her feet on the ground, which started to melt. She gritted her teeth.

"Let them burn in Hell!" Vidaldus shouted, forming a rocker's sign with his fingers, his head tilted backwards in craziness.

Palva shifted her left foot, and launched herself at the two girl in a powerful blaze. Lucy and Juvia didn't move, not that it would help due to how fast she was coming. However, as soon as she came close, the girls noticed something that came to pass; Palva flew right over them, completely missing them. They could feel the intense heat as she soared right over them, flipping about and slamming her feet into the wall she landed on. Flames bursted from all about her, almost going around the room they were in. Vidaldus looked slightly confused as he wondered why Palva missed. Her face was hidden from the other's view.

"If there's one person who's gonna burn in Hell…" she started, and she glared at Vidaldus, the light in her eyes showing her mental control, "…It's gonna be you, freak show!" She launched herself off the wall, which created cracks all along it from the force. Juvia and Lucy ducked as she soared over them, coming at a shocked Vidaldus, and slamming a flaming foot into his gut, causing him to gag and lose his grip on his guitar. He got sent flying backwards, as Palva shouted, "Someone break that guitar!"

"Bout time I get the spotlight in this fight!" Lucy shouted, raising a key, " **Open! Gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer!** " She summoned her spirit through a magic circle, who came out with his scissors, snipping them. "Cancer, baby~." he said in a quiet tone.

"Wreck that guitar, will ya?!" Lucy demanded, pointing at the said instrument.

"My scissors weren't really made for this. However…" Cancer leapt at the guitar, kicking it into the air, "…Those vibes even hurt my ears, baby." With a swift flurry of cuts with his scissors, he destroyed the guitar in one fell swoop.

"Gah! Not my guitar!" Vidaldus exclaimed in horror, seeing his precious weapon destroyed.

Palva braced herself as she glowed with the same light that was possessing her, and it bursted off of her, creating an explosion of steam. Everyone watched her as she slowly appeared out of it, her entire self back to normal.

"Let me tell you something, you damn rocker freak…" Palva growled, her grip on her Dragonic Fang tightening, "You don't get to control me, or my flames. These flames are not flames of Hell, or flames of a demon. They burn the brightest and the hottest when I fight to protect the people closest to me." She whipped her lance behind her back as flames surrounded her body as she finished, "They are the flames of my heart, and everyone who resides in it!"

"She's back!" Lucy cheered. "Thank goodness!" Juvia sighed.

Vidaldus sneered as he stated, "No one crashes my rock concert like this and doesn't go to Hell for it. I'll rock you dead!" He unleashed his hair again contorting it into whips as he sent them at Palva.

"I'm burnin' brightly now!" Palva shouted, intensifying the flames around her, " **Fire Dragon's Eruption!** " She unleashed a tower of flames from her body, burning the hair that came at her, shocking Vidaldus and making him panic from losing his hair.

"I ain't burnin' in Hell tonight!" he roared, unleashing his hair straight at Palva when she dropped her flames for only a moment, causing her to be sent flying in pain, the hair carrying her back to her friends.

" **Sierra!** " Juvia shouted, turning her entire body into water as she raced to Palva, causing a wave of water to push Lucy backwards in her haste. She caught Palva as she flew, and carried her upwards to safety. The large amount of water she left behind flew into Vidaldus's face, but he snickered as his hair started sucking it up. "What did I tell ya?! Water's the best thing for my hair!" he called out, "No matter how much there is, I can just suck it up!"

Palva and Juvia hung in the air, the latter back to normal as Juvia called out, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to you and Lucy!" Palva answered, smiling at her. Juvia smiled sweetly back, glad to see her back to normal.

"Let's teach this clown what we're capable of doing!" the young Dragon Slayer declared, reaching out to her.

"Of course. As friends!" Juvia answered, reaching right back to her. They drew their hands close until they seized one another. Out of nowhere, there was a great surge of magic energy as their hands suddenly shined.

Up above, Jellal sensed something as the guitar game piece resembling Vidaldus cracked. "Where did all this magic energy come from?" he questioned,standing onto his feet, "Don't tell me they fused their powers? Into a Unison Raid?!"

Back in the battle, Lucy was shocked and amazed, seeing Palva's flames and Juvia's water spiral around the two, forming in front of their held hands in a combined element; steam. "Their water and fire…are merging together!" she gasped.

"Wait, what is this?!" Vidaldus questioned, shocked at the intense magical power they were creating.

The two girls roared as they tightened their grip on each other, and unleashed the steam in an intense blast down at the enemy, who started to exclaimed, "I didn't ask for a steam rinse-!", before she was hit by the attack. The water in its' vapor form made it impossible to be absorbed, and the heat of the attack burned his entire body. He got sent flying off his feet, spiraling high into the upper parts of the wall, creating a crater with his body. Lucy braced herself on the ground, as while the attack didn't hit her, she was still feeling the intense shockwaves that followed. Cancer went away after saying something about 'not wanting to be steam-boiled.'

The attack continued on, pressuring the rocker into the wall even further. When the attack was over, the only thing he could say was "…wicked…" before another surprise came; his hair was really a headpiece, as it came off, revealing him to be actually bald. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, as the two ladies landed on the ground, their flames and water dispersing as they fell to their knees. Lucy looked up to see the two, as well as the unconscious Vidaldus aways from them. They had defeated one of the Trinity Raven.

"You did it!" Lucy cheered as the two stood up onto their feet. She rushed to them, and the trio shared a sisterly hug.

"You're no longer a groupie, Palva!" Juvia added, "Thank goodness…"

"Hey, it was thanks to the two of you that snapped me out of it." Palva told the two holding her, "You guys are the best!"

Lucy giggled as Juvia smiled gently, then stated, "This is the first time any girl has been so nice to me. Thanks, Palva. You too, Lucy."

After their warm embrace, they looked to Vidaldus on the ground, with Lucy asking, "Whatever you guys did really took him out."

"It was a Unison Raid." Palva explained, drawing the two's attention, "My sister and I have done it a few times. It is such a difficult technique to master, they say you could train your whole life, but not be able to use it."

"Then, how were we able to use it on the first try?" Juvia asked her in confusion.

"Well, my sister has a theory about it. She says that Unison Raids aren't formed by magic power alone, but by the bonds two people share. If you have a strong connection with the other, then it can be unleashed." Palva looked up at Juvia and smiled as she finished, "Guess this means you and I are quite close friends, despite all that." Juvia seemed surprised at this.

"Still, the three of us did manage to defeat one of the Trinity Raven." Lucy stated, "I bet Jellal didn't expect that to happen. Although, I was pretty useless throughout it all…"

"Not true. You destroyed the instrument that guy was using to control Palva." Juvia reminded her.

"Yeah, and your voice combined with Juvia's was enough to set me free." Palva added, "Thanks, Lucy. And thank you, Juvia."

She then looked down at her hand, thinking for a moment. "I know we told each other this during our whole scuffle with that guy, and with you guys having to deal with me, but I want to say it now, since everything has calmed down…" She turned to Juvia, "I really want to be friends with you, Juvia. And I hope you can be my friend, too, as well as someone you can count on."

"The same goes for me, as well." Lucy added, getting her attention, "I really hope you can see us as friends, Juvia."

With no other distractions do deal with, Juvia's heart was moved by the two's invitation in being friends. After everything they had said to one another during their battle, and all they did together in that, how could she say no? She smiled as she answered, "I would be glad to be friends with you guys."

After a moment of joy and relief between the three of them, Lucy sighed as she muttered, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm roasted. Let's rest for a while."

"Is that a pun, because I burned you with my flames?" Palva questioned her suspiciously.

"If it was, it was a pretty bad one." Juvia lightly scolded her.

"Sorry. Bad choice of words…" Lucy apologized.

"Nah. I just had one that was worse than that." Palva stated, looking to Vidaldus, "I think Juvia and I taught that guy a new kind of music to enjoy; steam punk." Juvia and Lucy had to giggle at how bad that joke was. They deserved a rest and a few laughs.

* * *

Back up top, Jellal looked at the knocked over guitar piece, still finding it hard to believe what he felt down below. "A Unison Raid. They actually were able to perform one. Monks have trained their whole lives in trying to do it." he muttered, "But even the most disciplined could never achieve it. It's quite impressive, even if it was a coincidence. Even more so that it was done with the girl who housed a demon of Zeref."

He smirked as he stated, "Well, I've learned my lesson. Despite being young girls, they live up to the expectation of being Erza's friends."

He picked up the flame game piece that represented Palva, turning it back and forth with his fingertips. "I still question the Himeka's connection to Lord Zeref." he muttered, smiling, "Then again, when he is revived, I can ask him myself…" He chortled at the thought of his plans coming to fruition soon.

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

Back at the gathering of the Magic Council members, Org started, "Regarding our debate whether or not to attack the Tower of Heaven with the Etherion, the votes stand at four in favor, and five against. As such, we have come to the decision of not using Etherion."

This news was very displeasing to Siegrain. He had to fire that thing at the tower. "Hold on!" he barked, "Do you people truly realize how grave the situation is?!"

"Stand down, Siegrain!" Org ordered, "You've said that enough already. We will strive for a peaceful solution to this matter."

"I'm telling you, you're wrong!" Siegrain retorted, "At this very moment, while we're wasting time arguing amongst ourselves, Jellal is getting closer to resurrecting the dead! Can't you all feel it? This tremendously malicious magical power, brought forth as an omen of the person he's trying to resurrect."

"What do you mean?" Leiji questioned.

"Stop beating around the bush, and get to the point!" Michello barked.

Siegrain curled his fists, in a last-ditch effort to convince the Magic Council. "I tried not to reveal this information, since if it were leaked, it would result in massive panic. But it seems I have no other choice."

"What exactly are you talking about?" Leiji asked him again.

"Tell us everything!" Org demanded.

"He plans to revive Black Mage Zeref!" Siegrain declared, getting shocked expressions from everyone but Ultear, who knew. They whispered their fears and concerns of this bit of news to one another. It was only recently that they had spoken of their concerns about what happened with Palva Himeka and Ashes, a demon created by Zeref. What Siegrain described to them about what he witnessed still brought more chills than that of the Lullaby incident.

"Are you absolutely sure of this, Siegrain?" Org asked him, sweat pouring down his face.

"I'm sure. I know Jellal's motivations all too well." he answered, "Such as the bonds between twins…" He paused so as to let the news fully sink into the minds of the Magic Council member before continuing, "I call for another vote." With the fears of the revival of the most dangerous mage in existence resurfacing, the Magic Council members all looked to one another, realizing there might not be any choice. Yajima, on the other hand, was still keeping a watchful eye on Siegrain.

* * *

Back in the battle in the upper levels of the tower, Natsu and Dori were still trying to hold their own against Fukuro, though this was a bit of a challenge. Fukuro came at Natsu with a kick, which he blocked with his elbow. " **Fire Dragon's Talon!** " Natsu countered with a kick flip to the head that sent Fukuro toppling onto the cage nearby. Natsu looked to see him get back up, his owl head twisted over ninety degrees, but he seemed unfazed as he twisted it back up. "Sorry to disappoint."

" **Crystal Stalagmite!** " he heard Dori shout, and looked up in time to see a large crystal thorn fall down towards him. He leapt back as the crystal hit the cage with an explosion that made it rattle hard. Dori, who was crouching on one knee, looking down at the damage, grimaced as she missed her target.

"This guy's fighting blow for blow with both Natsu AND Dori!" Happy exclaimed.

"I should expect no less for a member of Trinity Raven." Simon muttered.

"I won't let such sneaky attacks go unpunished!" Fukuro hooted, " **Thrusters!** " He shot himself up at the cage Dori was on, spiraled around it to catch her off guard, and coming in front behind, slamming a fist into Dori that sent her crashing into a wall back-first.

"Dori!" Happy cried out. "Leave her alone!" Natsu roared in rage.

"Taste the might fist of justice! Hoo-hoo!" Fukuro shouted, coming at Dori with a pair of fists.

Dori looked up and in desperation shouted, " **Crystal Dome!** " She created a dome of crystal around her, enduring the pair of fists that came at her. It shattered the crystal, but it canceled the attack.

"You don't know anything about true justice!" Dori barked, creating a magic circle behind her, " **Crystal Stardust!** " She unleashed a gust of tiny crystal shards from behind, sending the owl man flying with the shard, scratching him up in a few parts as he collided with the large chains behind him.

"Alright, Dori!" Happy cheered.

Dori fell from the wall down next to Natsu, maintaining her footing as he made sure to support her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Especially after I take this…" she held her hands like she was holding a basketball, and magic energy surged in between them. " **Crystal Diety: Eir!** " She created a crystal the size of a baseball, which glowed a gentle green hue. Once she was done, she chanted, " **Crystal Rejuvenation!** " She slammed the crystal between her hands, shattering it as the magic energy misted around her body. Her breathing slowed as most of her injuries started to fade on her.

"Holy cow! You healed yourself!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I do carry some lacrima with healing qualities in them." she explained, "However, they are rare, so I don't have a lot, and have to use it sparingly." The two heard the hooting of Fukuro as she finished, "But this guy did a good number on me before. I need to be at my best against him."

They saw the owl man land on a cage aways from them, still full of energy to fight the two. "Ho-hoo! Now, the mighty hammer of justice will fall upon the two of you!" He bent his back down, aiming his jet pack at them. He ignited the magic thrusters, causing the four other mages to be concerned for his next attack. " **Missile Hoo-hoo-hoot!** " Without warning, he fired off his jetpack from his back, coming at the two. In instincts, the two ducked underneath as it soared over them.

"Wow! Way to miss your target, dodo brain!" Natsu barked.

"It's coming back around!" Dori overlapped Natsu's words, she used Crystal Launcher on the two of them, launching them upwards as the jetpack came at them again.

"Now, elevate up!" Fukuro shouted, and the jetpack swerved upwards, coming at Dori and Natsu. "Arm Hand, open!" At his owner's words the back of the jetpack opened up, revealing a pair of hands. Natsu and Dori looked shocked as it came at the former, grabbing both of his arms, and sending him flying.

"Natsu!" Dori cried out as the Dragon Slayer was screaming in agony while the jetpack was spinning him in a circle incredibly fast, while Fukuro was watching the action, calling out, "Around the world you go!"

"His techniques are ridiculous, but fearsome." Simon stated.

Dori grabbed one of the chain links nearby, placing one of her feet on it as she watched Natsu spinning. "Oh, no! I know what he's doing!" she stated in worry. Even Happy was starting to notice this, too. Natsu's screams stopped, but only because he was holding back the urge to puke.

"I know my opponent's weaknesses very well, Salamander!" Fukuro called out.

"This is bad! That things a vehicle!" Happy realized.

"What do you mean?" Simon questioned him.

"He can't handle any modes of non-living transportation." Dori muttered, which Happy was explaining to Simon.

"Going in for the kill them your opponent is weakened." Fukuro stated, "That is the essence of hunting!"

"I'd better destroy that thing before it puts Natsu over the edge!" Dori stated, aiming a palm at the flying jetpack. However, just as she was about to unleash her Barrage, the hands let go of Natsu, and he fell. "No!" Dori cried, leaping off the chain towards him.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Fukuro shouted, "Stop her!" The jetpack obeyed, and flew down with its' arms out, grabbing Dori before she came close to Natsu, carrying her off. This left Natsu defenseless as he fell, his eyes spiraling.

"Now **Capture Hoo-hoo-hoot!** " Fukuro declared, and his mouth suddenly grew incredibly large. Natsu fell right into it, shocking Simon and Happy.

Dori was too distracted by the jetpack carrying her to notice Natsu's situation. "Damn this thing!" she growled, "Enough of this stupid contraption! **Crystal Lock!** " With a magic circle, she covered the two thrusters in crystal, stopping the engines. The arms carrying her also got encased in crystal as well.

As she started to fall, she shouted, " **Lacrima Release: Ice!** " The crystal became an icy blue color as it fell. She struggled as the ice magic crystals made the arms more breakable, allowing her to break free eventually and land on a cage, while the jetpack crashed into the wall, shattering into pieces. "And that takes care of that…" she muttered.

Just then, she heard Happy's outcry, and looked down at a horrifying scene. Fukuro was eating up Natsu, and it was only his legs that were flailing outside of his mouth. "What are you doing?!" Happy exclaimed.

"Is he seriously eating him?!" Dori questioned, "Is this guy really a man or really an owl?!"

Just then, she heard someone come in from a door behind her, and turned to see Gray entering the room. "Gray, it's you!" she gasped.

"Dori! Where have you been?" Gray asked.

"Never mind that. Let's go down there! Natsu's in trouble!" Dori stated, and the two leapt down to the cage Simon and Happy were on. There, the two got a better look at Fukuro eating Natsu.

"What the heck is this?!" Gray gasped, getting Simon's attention at his presence, "What is it doing to Natsu?!"

Dori didn't answer. She was cycling through all the kinds of magic she read throughout her life, trying to figure out what this guy was doing. All the while, Fukuro fully consumed him, and in one swallow, he placed him in his belly.

"He swallowed him!" Happy exclaimed.

"I digest the magical power of those whom I have devoured!" Fukuro told the group.

"He did what?!" Dori gasped, "Then that means…"

"Give Natsu back!" Happy shouted, flying at him angrily.

"No, wait!" the crystal mage shouted, but it was too late. Fukuro turned with red eyes. " **Fire Hoo-hoo-hoot!** " the owl man unleashed a powerful blast of flames that hit Happy square on, shocking the others.

"It can't be!" Simon gasped. "Happy!" Dori and Gray shouted in unison. The blue cat fell to the cage below, burned from the attack, but still alive. Looking back up, they could see Fukuro with a fist consumed in flames, and pink hair starting to sprout on his head.

"Not only did he eat Salamander, but he also gained his magic powers?!" Simon gasped.

"Weren't expecting that, were you-oo?!" Fukuro hooted.

"Their strength combined is terrifying!" Simon gasped.

"I gotta admit, that caught me off guard." Dori muttered, readying herself, "But not enough to frighten me!" She used a Crystal Launcher to get onto the cage Happy was on, just as Fukuro fired off a blast of flames from his fist at them. " **Crystal Crown!** " She produced a ring of crystal thorns around her and Happy, counteracting the explosion. However, the attack did destroy the connection between the cage and the chain, causing the two on it to fall.

"Dori!" Gray shouted down to her as she fell. The crystal mage grabbed Happy, and launched herself off of the cage, grabbing the chain nearby and watched as the cage crashed to the ground. She winced after getting slightly burned by the attack.

"Damn, that was close." Dori muttered, "This guy's using Natsu's flames pretty well. Still, I at least gained a tolerance to flames after dealing with my sister."

"Ho-hoo! So you still want to fight, crystal mage?!" Fukuro questioned her.

"Dori…" Happy muttered, wincing at his own burns.

"Happy, I know I'm being selfish right now, especially considering your condition. But I need you to be my wings right now." she ordered, "Thing is, I managed to quell one of my flaws, which is speed. He was moving to fast with his jetpack for me to land a decent blow. However…" She glared back up at Fukuro, "…there's one more weakness that I know he knows. That's why I need you to keep me from being stuck in the air."

"What do you mean?" Happy asked, confused at the request she was asking of him.

"Hey, I thought you were gonna catch that Sho guy and rescue Erza!" Gray barked at Simon.

"I was, but I ran into this guy. I think I saw Leon still chasing after him. I just hope he can catch up with Sho."

"Don't worry about it." They heard Dori as Happy carried her up to the cage they were on, "I don't know what Sho did with Erza, or how she captured him, but I can count on Leon to get him. Not only is he a great mage and blacksmith, but a great tracker. I just hope he stops that Sho guy."

"That psycho trapped her in one of his magic cards." Gray explained, "Usually, I wouldn't worry about her, but being trapped in that card will leave her exposed to all sorts of danger."

"I'm sorry. I thought Sho could've handled the truth." Simon stated, "I never thought that he would react like that…"

"We don't have time to talk!" Happy exclaimed from behind Dori's shoulder, "We have to save Natsu before it's too late!"

"Right. We'll talk after this." Dori understood.

Remembering the situation Natsu was in, Gray huffed, "When are you gonna learn to stay out of trouble?! What the hell do you think you're doing? You flaming idiot!"

As Fukuro's six-pack stomach jiggled from Natsu, the owl man exclaimed, "The digestion process has begun! In a mere ten minutes, Salamander's body shall be liquefied! And when that happens, all of his magical power will belong to me, and you will be brought to justice!" His body glowed with a heated aura at these last words.

Dori and Gray leapt onto the cage he was on as Dori stated, "A lot can happen in ten minutes, you know."

"We can take care of this guy." Gray told Simon, getting into a fighter's stance.

"Don't be so full of yourselves, hoot!" Fukuro growled. The two sides glared each other down, ready to fight.

" **Ice-Make Lance!** " " **Crystal Cataclysm!** " Both Fairy Tail mages unleashed their attacks at the owl man, who retaliated by shouting, " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " His attack blasted the two's magic, making Gray's ice dissolve and Dori's crystal to shatter from the power.

"Watch out! He possesses magic similar to that of Salamander's!" Simon called out. Dori leapt out of the way quickly, while Gray took the breath attack hard. Happy sprouted his wings as he and Dori saw in horror the damage Gray was taking.

"You should know that ice is no match for fire!" Fukuro roared.

"Then how about water?!" Dori roared, " **Crystal Diety: Aegir!** " She summoned a large Crystal Pinnacle from her left hand, aiming it at the literal line of fire that was burning down Gray, and unleashing a powerful torrent of water that broke the flames path. Fukuro glared up at Dori as Happy carried her to a higher cage. "Don't you want to finish the battle you started with me?!" she demanded, unleashing another powerful jet of water from the Crystal Pinnacle.

"Your too cocky for your own good! Ho-hoot!" Fukuro unleashed another breath attack to counter the water attack. Both attacks collided, creating a burst of steam that fumed the room. Gray and Simon could barely see anything what with the steam fogging their vision. Dori kept her guard up as she looked about, wondering where Fukuro would strike next. She then sensed the fire magic he was unleashing, and shielded her front as Fukuro appeared in front of her, roaring, " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " He slammed his fist into Dori's Pinnacle, shattering it, and sending her and Happy crashing into the wall behind them. Happy got flattened between the wall and Dori, nearly causing him to lose consciousness. The crystal mage caught herself as she started to fall, creating a crystal platform from the wall to stand on.

"Happy, you okay?!" she demanded, looking to him.

"Aw, man! I almost became a flatfish there!" Happy gasped, groaning in pain.

Just then, Dori saw Fukuro unleashing another fiery breath attack, and she leapt upwards to avoid it. However, this was exactly what the owl man wanted, as he leapt up and snatched Dori by the throat. She gasped for air as he held a tight grip on her. "Dori!" Gray and Happy shouted.

"It's not only Salamander's weakness that I know, but your magic's weakness, as well!" Fukuro declared, swinging Dori around, and sending her flying into the middle of the air. "And that weakness is…your limits in the air!" the owl man finished, unleashing a breath attack once more at Dori. "Get out!" Dori shouted, reaching back and throwing Happy off of her so he wouldn't get hit. She then crossed her arms, creating a sheet of crystal as a guard to take the hit. The crystal barely did much, but it caused Dori to grimace in pain from the flames consuming her. Happy was shocked, crying out to her as she fell downward, landing on the birdcage beneath her, smoke coming off of her. She slowly rose to her feet, her body shaking at the damage she took.

"Are you okay?!" Happy exclaimed, flying down to her as Fukuro hooted in gaining the upper hand.

"Considering I deal with my sister's fire all the time, I could be worse off." Dori grimaced, "But I was right. He does know my weakness."

"What do you mean?" Happy asked.

"My Crystal magic is powerful, but it has its' limits." Dori explained, "My magic is similar to planting a seed; it needs the ground to go into in order to sprout. The same goes for my magic. The more ground I have physical contact with, the more I can unleash larger crystals. That said, I can't produce crystals from thin air or from the water. If I'm in the air, the only physical place my crystals can come from is from my own body."

"But that means if he hits you in the air, you can't produce your stronger attacks!" Happy realized.

"Ho-hoo! And this room is filled with open air, but not a whole lot of ground for you to use!" Fukuro declared, "Whereas thanks to my magic and Salamander's fire, you don't stand a chance against me!" He unleashed another blast of flames from his mouth, aiming at Dori.

Suddenly, Gray appeared leaping up in front of Dori, shocking the girl. Glaring fiercely, he focused his ice magic in his fist and palm, and just as the flames were about to hit him, he roared and froze the flames in place.

"No way!" Dori gasped. "He froze the flames!" Simon followed, shocked.

"Natsu's flames burn way hotter." Gray scoffed, "But I expected as much, since you're just some bird-brained poser!" He looked back to Dori as he pointed out, "We don't have time to stand around dealing with this guy. We have to go and save Erza! So I'll help you cover your weakness, as long as you can finish this guy off and save Natsu."

Dori was surprised at his offer, but knew what was at stake. Usually, she was more use to Leon, Palva and Pastry to help her out. She was fine with Erza, Natsu and Happy, since they worked in the same way as the three she was use to. However, this might be the first time she would need help from someone using a magic she wasn't use to to help take an enemy down. However, now was not the time to be picky. In fact, there was no need to be picky anymore. She was now in a mage guild. She was in Fairy Tail.

"Let's do it." she finally told Gray, "Let's defeat this guy, and save Erza."

Gray nodded in agreement, glaring up at Fukuro. "YOU HEAR THAT! WE'RE GONNA BRING ERZA BACK HOME WITH US!" he roared, channeling a lot of ice magic into his hands, and slamming it into the ground. All of a sudden, ice started spreading all about the area, creating bridges that lead from one birdcage to another, and even connecting to a few hanging chains. The sight of the incredible amount of magic that Gray poured into the area shocked everyone around him, including Dori. However, he panted a bit as he used a lot of magic to create such a place, and asked, "Can…you take it…from here?"

Dori nodded in response, smiling as she said, "Thanks. I promise he will be beaten."

She made a leaping dash, and as she did so, she concentrated, and created three small spikes underneath each of her boots, providing her with stability on the ice bridges. She raced up one as Fukuro unleashed another fiery blast of flames from his mouth, dodging the attack, grabbing a frozen chain, and swinging around with a Crystal Barrage from her palm, striking Fukuro and making him go on the defense. She leapt off, landing on the birdcage the owl man was on, and creating a Crystal Launcher that sent him airborne.

"It's true I have my weaknesses. Heck, I don't know anyone who doesn't have one." Dori stated, "But being in a guild like Fairy Tail has shown me that there are all kinds of mages who'll make up for those weaknesses, allowing you to defeat enemies that you couldn't fight by yourself. And that only happens when you work together, as comrades!" She unleashed an angled Crystal Wall, and slammed her palm into it, creating spikes from it. " **Crystal Diety: Logi!** " she roared, and the crystal went red hot.

"You dare challenge Salamander's flames against your feeble magic?!" Fukuro demanded, readying a fiery fist, and diving down at Dori, "Prepared for the fist of justice! Ho-hoot!"

" **Crystal Rocket!** " Dori shouted, slamming her palms into the crystal wall, and causing the crystal spikes to be sent flying, with flames thrusting them towards a startled Fukuro. There was a great explosion, and everyone could hear Fukuro's outcry of pain from within the flaming attack.

Dori waited for the owl man to appear from it, questioning if he was actually defeated. Sure enough, he came out of the flames, landing on the birdcage a good distance away from Dori.

"Ho-hoo! You're magic are indeed impressive! Perhaps I should capture you, too!" He lunged at Dori, his mouth gaping open to a larger size, ready to swallow Dori. However, just before he got her, Dori ducked low to the ground, getting right underneath Fukuro, and slamming a palm on his chest as she growled, " **Crystal Lock!** " In mere seconds, she completely froze Fukuro in crystal, with the exception of his open mouth, with the base of it coming from his head and feet, putting him a couple feet off the ground. He was shocked and amazed at how she dodged his Capture attack, and ended up captured, instead.

"I see your weakness, clear as day." Dori muttered, still crouched underneath Fukuro, "You're arrogance. Your so-called 'justice'. You claim all you do is for the greater good, but it's all just an act to boost your ego and make yourself look like you're doing the world a favor. Well I don't see the justice that tried to kill my sister because she couldn't control her flames, and I don't see the justice you defend when you are helping an innocent woman like Erza be used as a sacrifice!"

She placed her palm on Fukuro's six-pack, questioning, "Now this is where Natsu should be, right? Let's get him out." She focused for a second. The owl man mouth suddenly made a horrible gagging noise, as if he was about to throw up. Suddenly, Natsu came flying out of his large mouth, covered in stomach juices, and completely unconscious.

"She got Salamander out of his belly?!" Simon gasped, "But how did she do that?!"

"I simply had to make sure I knew exactly where his stomach was, and then used Crystal Launcher inside there, sending Natsu out."

"You purposely made the bird guy puke?!" Happy exclaimed, "That's so disgusting!"

"It's nasty, but it's the only way I knew to get Natsu out." Dori stated, getting out from underneath the frozen enemy, and walking a good distance away from him, "Now let's get rid of something more foul; this guy." She slammed her foot onto the ground, creating a Crystal Launcher that sent Fukuro flying, the crystal shattered around him, but his body weakened from the extraction he went through.

"Gray, now!" Dori shouted, "Finish this guy off!" She had already sensed Gray had regained himself, and he created ice blades that covered his right hand and left elbow. He launched himself at the weakened owl man, roaring, " **Ice Blade: Seven Strike Dance!** " He unleashed seven strikes with his blades, causing Fukuro unbelievable damage, and got sent flying into one of the birdcages, breaking through the rusted bars, and falling within it, like the bird he was. Gray landed on the same birdcage as Dori, his ice blade disintegrating. As they looked to one another, they heard something break, and saw the birdcage Fukuro was in fall to the ground far below, crashing loudly.

"They beat him!" Happy cheered. Simon was amazed at the fact the two managed to defeat such a powerful enemy.

"We got him…" Dori muttered, looking down at where Fukuro fell, then back at Gray, who was looking down at the rusted top of the birdcage they were on. He had a look of concern on his face. "You okay?" the crystal mage asked.

"You know, back when Erza joined our guild, she had kept her distance from us for the longest time." Gray muttered, "However, it was more than that. She shielded her heart in armor, because that was the only way to keep it from breaking again. But it didn't stop the pain. I hope she realizes that her friends in Fairy Tail are ten times stronger than any armor she has. With us around, she won't have to cry again."

Dori looked surprised at first, then reminded herself back at the resort, when Erza stated how much more comfortable she had always felt when she was dressed in armor. She then recalled their similarities in their hearts, and placed one of her hands on her chest.

"I understand that feeling, too. Well, sort of…" she muttered, getting his attention, "For so long, I've kept my distance from so many people because those that I faced were always after Palva. I was only use to people like Leon, Pastry and my little sister, so working together with them was comfortable. However, there were times I felt like I was alone, like I was in the air, with nothing but my crystal to shield my body. And against enemies like Fukuro, who exploit my weaknesses, I am completely helpless…"

She clenched her hand into a fist as she stated, "But…thanks to Fairy Tail, with people like you, I am able to see more people who can help me when I am at a disadvantage. I need to become more open with my friends I have at that guild. If they need protecting, like Erza, then I'll gladly do my best to do so. I only ask that you guys can help me when I need to be protected, like I did just now. Can you do that, Gray?"

The Ice-Make mage was stone-faced at her entire speech, but he could feel what she was saying. Despite her amazing powers and her ability to fight people like Master José, she was still vulnerable, and still flawed, like an uncut diamond. She needed people like those of Fairy Tail to help her. To open her heart to more friends and allies. To know she will not fight alone anymore. He nodded in response to her question.

Simon watched as the two looked to Happy, who was close to the unconscious Natsu, pleased that he was okay. _'Gray Fullbuster. You are much stronger than our reports indicated.'_ he pondered to himself, _'Dori Himeka. You may be flawed, but your magic is still as incredible as I have heard.'_

Dori fell to her butt, panting from exhaustion. "Hey, you okay?" Gray asked, about to come to her side, but he stumbled a bit. Creating all those ice bridges and then defeating Fukuro like that took a good bit of energy out of him.

"I'm fine. But I'm pretty exhausted." she panted.

"You're pretty banged up, as well." Gray noticed, "Maybe you should let me handle in taking care of saving Erza."

"I'll be fine. I've been through much worse." Dori assured him, getting to her feet again, but was fumbling to stay up, "Besides, I already told you; Leon is after Sho, so he can save Erza. I trust he can save her before it's too late. Right now, I need you and Happy to go and secure a ship for us."

"Say what?!" questioned her, "No way! I ain't gonna leave until I know Erza is safe!"

"None of us will be safe if we don't have any way to leave the island!" Dori retorted, "Believe me, this is just as important as saving Erza. Find our boat, make sure none of those guards around here destroyed it, and wait for our arrival."

"What about Natsu?!" Happy asked, trying to shake Natsu awake. He was starting to come around, but he was moaning how everything was spinning after his ride on Fukuro's jetpack.

"I can carry Salamander with me." Simon stated, leaping up to join the group, "I am confident that when he wakes, he can save Erza, too. When he unlocks his full potential, I have no doubt even he can defeat Jellal."

"I'll come with. I can recover as we make our way up there." Dori stated, "Besides, there's something I want to confirm about Jellal. Something that has been bothering me ever since I came to know about his connection with him and Siegrain, and when he announced this 'Heaven's Game'."

"Which is…?" Gray asked her.

"Nothing I can tell you, yet." Dori responded, frowning at him, "But if my suspicions are true…well, I can't jump to any conclusions. Right now, our priority is to save Erza, defeat Jellal, and leave. I'll leave the latter plan to you and Happy, Gray. Please, will you do it?"

Gray didn't like running away from a fight, or running away from rescuing his friend. However, what Dori said made sense, and regrettably, he knew he was in no condition to face any more opponents. Dori didn't look like she was able to face anyone either, but at least she was able to take down a person like Master José, who was a Mage Saint. And Natsu and Erza were both strong fighters when they were ready. So for now, he had to put his faith in his comrades.

"Alright. But you better promise me to save Erza!" Gray ordered her.

"I will!" Dori answered, turning to the tall, muscular man, who grabbed Natsu and carried him on his back, "You know where Jellal is, uh…Simon, right?"

"That's right. And yes, I do know how to get to Jellal." Simon answered, "Let's get moving. I don't know how far away Sho is from us, or how much time we have left." Dori understood, and the two parties split up; Gray and Happy going out the hole made by Fukuro attacking Natsu, while the other three took another path that led higher up to where Jellal was. Only one of his knights left remained, and the decision to fire the Etherion on them was about to reach its' verdict…

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

"…There are now eight votes in favor, and one against." Org announced, "Therefore, an Etherion blast will be used to strike down the Tower of Heaven!"

Most of the Magic Council was regretting this choice, but knew it was the only way to stop Jellal from reviving Zeref. Siegrain was especially pleased at the results of the votes. Yajima, the one who chose against, was still eyeing the blue-haired young man. _'Why would you go through all this trouble, and so much conflict to fire the Etherion, Siegrain?'_ he wondered, _'This is overkill, and even your brother's death now approaches. Is this really the only way you want to end this?'_

Time left for the Tower of Heaven before Etherion destroys it:

One hour

* * *

 **Dang, I had to wrack my brains on this one. Honestly, I really wanted something creative to change in these two fights compared to their manga/anime counterparts, and I hope you guys liked the changes. With Palva being possessed instead of Juvia, I figured that considering Vidaldus was a rocker with a look like an insane member of KISS, and one who speaks about 'burnin' in Hell', that Palva would be a great substitute. Plus, it gave an opportunity to further the friendship between her and Juvia, which was what I really wanted.**

 **As for Fukuro, I wanted this part to specifically show off Dori's weakness, which was aerial combat and speed, two things that Pastry, Palva and Leon could cover for her if they were with her. But now, it demonstrates to you people that Dori is not godly. She has limits, but she will improve on overcoming them in due time, but it just takes patience and working with her newfound guild to overcome. She will truly become a force to be reckon with.**

 **Now there will be about three more chapters left for the Tower of Heaven arc. You can expect Leon vs. Ikaruga and Erza vs. Jellal in the next chapter. In the next one afterwards, it will be the final battle:**

 **Jellal vs. Natsu & Dori.**

 **If you know what the Tower of Heaven becomes, then you can tell Dori might be having a bit of an advantage with her magic. But how well will the battle go? You'll have to find out in the chapters to come. For now, leave a review, tell your friends, like my work, and wait for the next chapter of Burning Hearts of Fairies!**


	17. Bonds Forged from our Blades!

**Previously on Fairy Tail:**

 _(Happy speaking)_ We were attacked! Natsu, Dori and I tried to go up to the top to fight Jellal, but we were stopped by this bird man named Fukuro, who turned out to be a member in an assassin's guild! To make matters worse, he was really strong, and knew the weaknesses of Natsu and Dori, and even ate Natsu up in order to use his powers against us! But thanks to me and Gray, we managed to help Dori defeat the bird guy, and save Natsu!

At the same time, Lucy, Juvia and Palva were dealing with another member of the assassin's guild, Vidaldus, who used his magic to possess Palva and use her against the other two. It was pretty difficult, but the two were able to snap her out of her enchantment, destroyed the heavy metal guy's weapon, and defeat him with the power of Palva and Juvia's magic fused together!

Now that just leaves one enemy left before facing Jellal, and Sho still has Erza trapped in a card! And to make matters worse, the Magic Council's voting is over, and they plan to use the Etherion. We don't have much time, guys! We gotta save Erza before it's too late!

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

"The Council has made their decision!" "Etherion will be fired in one hour!" "Starting preparations immediately! Hurry up!" The amphibious workers in the Magic Council building were rushing up and down the hallways, preparing themselves as they were preparing the Satellite Square high above them, using it to fire onto the Tower of Heaven.

Inside the room of a specific Magic Council member, Siegrain was sitting at his desk, taking in the revelation of what was to come. He had finally done it. He had convinced the Magic Council to fire Etherion. Ultear was standing next to him, holding her lacrima orb, just as relieved as he was.

There was a wrap on the door, and Siegrain called out, "Enter." The door opened, revealing Yajima.

"Please forgive my intrusion." he apologized as he entered in.

"Yajima." Siegrain addressed the man, standing up to greet him.

"I'm sorry, Sieg, but I don't think this is a wise decision." Yajima stated, walking past him and to the window behind him, "Surely an intelligent man, such as yourself, could find a more peaceful route to solve this volatile situation."

"You may not agree with our method, but Zeref's resurrection is something we must not allow." Siegrain reminded him, "Surely, you can understand this, can't you, elder?"

Yajima sighed at this statement, then responded, "I'm no longer certain. I know it must be stopped, but will you take full responsibility of this vote?"

"Of course. It's a burden I am willing to bear-."

"I mean all those lives you are going to take! Including your twin brother!" Yajima barked, turning to him with a rare angered look on his face, "I hope you realize that his death, along with the deaths of many others, will lie squarely on your shoulders! Do you?!"

Siegrain gave a calm glare back at him as he stated, "I know what is at stake here. And I will bear the burden of Jellal's life."

Back in the Tower of Heaven, Jellal smirked as he wondered, "There's not much time left. What will you do now?"

As time progressed, the Magic Council building and the mountain it was on sank into the ground, replaced by four towers, each having a monolith made of a different element of magic. This was followed by a massive white prism, swirling with intense magic energy. Sparks of magic started to surge from the lacrima monoliths into the diamond prism, increasing the amount of magic energy. The citizens of Era watched all of this happening, wondering what was to come of all of this.

All throughout the inside, the amphibious workers were calling out to one another, preparing the Satellite Square to fire the Etherion. The Magic Council members all came together to watch from the circular balcony as everything was being set up. The time was drawing near.

"To think we'd have to resort to these measures in the Council Chairman's absence…" Org muttered.

"It is our solemn duty." Leiji noted, "In his absence, it is our duty to maintain peace and order."

"There's no need to worry, Org." Michello assured him, "I know we are violating protocol by unleashing a surprise, massive attack, but it is within our rights to act under Article 27, Clause 4 of the National Security and Safety Act."

"The legality of this is not my concern." Org retorted, "Our choice to fire an Etherion will put innocent lives at risk."

"If Zeref is resurrected, more will be at risk." Michello noted, "We can only pray that Etherion is enough to protect us by sending Zeref back into his grave!"

In a different part of the balcony, Siegrain watched the amphibious workers preparing the Satellite Square. Ultear came from the shadows as she stated, "The time is drawing near, Master Siegrain. The dream that you've held dear for these eight years will now become a reality.

"Let me ask you something; are you afraid?" Siegrain asked her.

"No, not at all." Ultear answered, "I trust you whole-heartedly, and I have complete faith in your judgement."

From behind one of the columns away from them, literally melted into the wall with magic, Yajima was eavesdropping as Siegrain noted, "That's no surprise. Your life is not hanging in the balance." Siegrain noted.

"That's true…" Ultear agreed.

"I must admit, I'm a little nervous." the blue haired mage stated, and there was a slight quiver in his voice at these words, "If my plan fails, I will cease to exist. Even so, I consider the risk of my own life a small price to pay. I'm so close…my destiny awaits!"

"Yes…" Ultear silently agreed.

Time before the Etherion destroys the Tower of Heaven:

25 minutes

* * *

Back in the Tower of Heaven, Juvia was on her back, barely conscious from the fight she endured against Vidaldus and Palva. Lucy was looking at her, then at Palva, who had rested her self against the wall, holding her lance, and her eyes closed as she was recovering.

 _'Juvia's unable to move. Palva was burning through a lot of magic throughout that battle, too. It's taken its' toll on her stamina.'_ the Celestial mage noticed, _'And I'm still recovering from all the damage I took, too. What should we do?'_

"Nya~." A familiar meow was heard by Lucy, along with a pair of footsteps, "Some did a real number on this place."

"Hey, do you see what I see?" asked a familiar, gravely voice.

"Oh man! I recognize those voices!" Lucy panicked.

Palva's eyes snapped open as she growled, "It's that cat girl!" Her sudden speaking up startled Lucy.

Sure enough, walking into the room was none other than Wally and Millianna, noticing the trio. Palva slowly got to her feet, readying her Dragonic Fang as she growled, "You're the girl who placed me on that roller coaster ride! Do you realize how nauseating that was?!"

"Nya! Oh that? It was in the past." Millianna scoffed off.

"Good thing we found you dames when we did." Wally stated.

"Same here! It's payback time, pussycat!" Palva barked at her.

"Wait, hold on! Did you forget we're not enemies with them anymore?!" Lucy reminded Palva, though it fell on deaf ears.

* * *

"HOW COULD YOU?! JELLAL!" Sho's outcry could be heard all throughout the top of the tower. He was sprinting along the pathway that would lead him all the way up to the top of the tower as fast as he could, with nothing but anger and bewilderment filling his mind.

"Damn you! How could you lie to me, Jellal?! You lied to all of us! I won't let you get away with this!"

"Calm down, Sho!" Erza called out, still trapped in the card, which resided in Sho's breast pocket.

"He's gotta pay for what he did!" Sho roared.

"That's enough! Calm yourself!" Erza ordered him, "Let me out of this card at once!"

"I can't do that!" Sho denied her, "I'm sorry, but it's for your own good!"

"Get back here, you idiot!" Sho looked back to see Leon tearing up the path after him, the only mage in pursuit of him.

"No! I have to stop Jellal myself!" Sho called back to him.

"Do your realize what you are doing at all?!" Leon demanded, "Do you have any idea how foolish you are acting right now?!"

A good distance ahead of them. There was a hole in the wall near the ceiling. A ball of dark ginger, quill-like fur was squeezing out of it, revealing it to be Pastry. He fell towards the floor, but caught himself with his wings. However, it was only for a second before he disengaged them, panting from exhaustion. "Man, that was some climb!" he gasped, "What kind of idiot creates a tower as high as this place? Seriously, I know it's called the Tower of Heaven, but come on!"

He looked about the area, checking for any signs of people, but saw none. "Guess I arrived here a bit early…" he muttered, "Dori ordered me to find the others. Guess maybe jumping all the way up here wasn't such a good idea. I mean, how could they have arrived here so quickly?"

Just then, he heard a war cry, along with a pair of footsteps, and turned to see Sho tearing up the path towards where he was, with Leon right behind him. "I stand corrected!" Pastry gasped.

"Pastry!" Leon called out, recognizing his closest companion, "Stop that guy, however you can!"

Bewildered, Pastry muttered, "Well, I am low on magic energy thanks to that climb. But at least I can do this…" He dashed at Sho, who only just saw him coming. Going into a spindash, the ginger, spiky cat rolled along the ground, catching Sho underfoot, and making him slip and fall on his back. Erza's card fell out of his pocket, sliding onto the ground.

"Nice one, Pastry!" Leon stated, getting in between Sho and Erza's card as the former rolled over to try and grab her.

Pastry cracked his back into place as he stated, "You know how painful it is to get stomped on? I ain't made of elastic!"

"Never mind that." Leon retorted, grabbing Sho by the collar of his jacket, and hoisting him up close to his face, "Now as for you…"

"Let go! I have to stop Jellal!" Sho whined, "If you get in my way, I'll…"

"You'll what? Put me in a card?!" Leon questioned him, "And then what? Go up and face Jellal, a guy who is practically the head of this place, and who knows your feeble magic from back to front?!" Sho stopped struggling, his eyes filled with nothing but absolute desperation.

"Listen to what I'm gonna say, because here's what was gonna plan out if you did reach Jellal. He would kill you, without mercy. And then, with Erza still trapped in the card YOU placed her in, he will use her as a sacrifice, just as he intended. Do you realize what you were really doing? You weren't trying to protect her. You were sending her to her death!"

Sho's eyes went into shock. The scenario that Leon set up for him made so much sense, there was no way to deny any part of it. Now that he was shaken straight, he could see the truth in what he said. There was really no way for him to fight Jellal alone. Compared to him, he was weak. Not even him, Simon, Millianna and Wally could all defeat him together.

Leon shoved Sho away from him as he calmly stated, "I get you are confused, and I get you are angry at Jellal's deception, but acting blindly like this is exactly what that guy wants. What you were doing was not helping anyone but him. If you want to help Erza… If you consider her a close friend, then trust Erza's judgement. Trust her friends. Trust us! We are more than strong enough to take on that guy, but only if we work together! That includes Erza herself. How do you think she feels being trapped in that card, unable to fight a guy she's been waiting to stop for eight years?"

Pastry crawled up Leon's coat during this speech, carrying Erza's card in his paw. He got up to Leon's shoulder, holding Erza's card out to him, and he took it. Leon looked to Erza, who was calm, but still was anxious to get out of the card.

"The fact is that you aren't the only one Jellal betrayed. From Erza's story, she was deeply betrayed by him the most." Leon finished, "For some reason, I feel as if I could relate. I don't know why myself, but…" He held Erza out to Sho, showing him the helpless state he placed her in. "…This isn't what she wants."

"Sho…" Erza called out to her friend, who was just staring back at her, unable to believe the foolish mistake he was making. He didn't know who to trust, and his insanity almost got the better of him. He wanted to do what was right, but it only made things worse. However, after hearing Leon's words, he knew there was only one thing to do; get the help he needed from his dear friend, and the ones with her right now.

He closed his eyes, and with an open palm, made Erza's card shine. In a second, she reappeared, standing in between the two boys, examining herself, grateful she was out of the card. Sho slumped to his knees, getting her attention as he sobbed, "I'm…I'm so sorry, sis. I was only…I just…"

"I'm not upset, Sho." Erza assured him, patting his shoulder, "But Leon is right. This is a fight I have to finish. And if I have you guys with me, it makes it reassuring I have people who care for me a lot to have my back. So let's defeat Jellal, together." Sho sobbed a bit, but he nodded in answer. Erza smiled, while Leon nodded, glad to see the problem resolved.

When Sho was able to move, the four of them raced down the path together. Pastry was holding onto Leon's shoulder, as he was preserving his magic for later uses. "How much farther to where Jellal is at?" Leon asked Erza.

"If I remember correctly, the top of the tower is close. We're almost there!"

After a minute of running, the four found themselves entering into a bizarre room. It had, though they didn't use the words nor understood it, a Japanese-style place. It was a long bridge with rows of red gates along it, along with statues of stone lion-like creatures, standing over a pond that filled the room. Jagged rocks were all around the floors next to the walls. A sakura tree bloomed in the midst of the room, gushing out flower petals as they fell from practically all over the place.

"What is this place?" Pastry asked, "Looks foreign."

Erza and Leon didn't answer, but saw someone ahead of them. They all stopped abruptly, to see a kimono-cladded woman with tied pink hair. She was slowly walking towards them, one extremely high-heeled sandal footstep at a time, carrying a long katana in her hands. They could feel the strength that the women was unleashing, and they prepared to fight. Sho immediately readied his magic cards, placing them in between each finger.

"Konichiwa. I am the one known as Ikaruga." the woman introduced herself, "I see you have arrived, Titania Erza. Our employer has been expecting you."

"Get out of my way, lady!" Sho growled, "Who the hell is this ridiculous woman?!"

"She must be one of Jellal's 'knights'." Erza assumed. Leon didn't say anything, but narrowed his eyes, particularly at the sword. There was something about this woman that seemed familiar to him.

"Oh dear! What ever should I do with such an impolite group?" Ikaruga questioned to herself.

"I warned you!" Sho roared, throwing his cards at the woman, sending them through a magic circle to amplify the damage they would unleash. His sudden attack shocked his three allies, but not Ikaruga, who readied her blade. Leon and Erza suddenly sensed an intensity with her blade as in a blink of an eye, and without even seeing the blade unsheathed, she stopped all the cards. However, she didn't cut them in halt the usual way. She had peeled each and every one of them in half, like unveiling a banana.

"Impossible!" Sho gasped. "She peeled the thin part of every card in half so effortlessly!" Pastry exclaimed. "What precession!" Erza finished.

"There exists nothing that I cannot slice with extreme precision." Ikaruga warned the group. The words she said triggered something from Leon's memory, but it wasn't from before two years ago. Rather, it was something he remembered during those two years.

"That sword of yours won't scare me!" Sho barked, readying to unleash another volley of cards.

"Sho, stop it!" Erza ordered him. However, it was not her that stopped him. Suddenly, there was a sliced X on the bridge at Sho's feet, and he felt as if every limb in his body suddenly stopped working. His cards faded as he muttered, "What's…my body…won't move…" he fell to his knees, then to the ground.

"Sho!" Erza cried out, coming down next to him, then glared at Ikaruga as she demanded, "What did you do to him?!"

"I merely severed his nerves without a single cut on his clothes or flesh." the woman explained, "Such is the essence of the Mugetsu-Ryu sword style **(Author Fun Fact: Mugetsu-Ryu translates to 'Form of the Moonless Sky')**. Would you like to try it, Titania?"

Erza gritted her teeth as Sho moaned, "No…sis…" However, it wasn't her that was stepping forward to face her. Pastry was placed on the floor as Leon stepped forward, glaring at Ikaruga. "Leave this to me, Erza. This one's personal." he told his fellow Requip mage. Erza was puzzled at what he meant by this.

"I see. So you plan to duel against me, young man?" Ikaruga asked, "I do hope you give me a little more enjoyment than him."

"Before I begin, let me confirm one thing; Your full name is Ikaruga Mugetsu, a member of the clan of the same last name, is that right?"

"Goodness. It's has been ages since anyone has addressed me by my full name, let alone know of my affiliation with my former clan." Ikaruga stated.

"Wait, you know this woman?" Erza asked Leon.

"I haven't met her until now, but I had heard about her." Leon explained, not wavering his eyes away from his opponent, "The Mugetsu clan was originally from the Western continent. They were gifted sword-wielders, who's precision was unmatched by any other in their time. However, their clan was wiped out one night, when a gifted young girl in their clan slew everyone while they were asleep, including the guards, stealing two of their most prized possessions. One of which was a blade that was gifted even greater precision to those who wielded it; the Mugetsu-Ryu. An elderly man, the only survivor of that massacre, told me all of this, along with the name of the young girl; Ikaruga."

"That must've been my uncle." Ikaruga sighed, "He was the only one who was fine with me leaving the clan in order to seek out a future. However, the clan was very secretive, and did not wish for anyone of us to leave. Only to go whenever we were ready to find someone strong to marry. I didn't wish to be married or be held down by such laws, so I decided to gain my freedom the only way possible; by 'slicing the chains' that bound me there."

"How could you? Including your parents?!" Erza demanded, shocked and angry at this tale she heard.

"That's not all you took, did you?" Leon questioned her, not phased by what she had said, "I said you took TWO of the treasures that the Mugetsu clan owned. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, woman."

"Oh, you mean these?" She asked, and she pulled up her kimono, revealing her legs. Sho refrained from looking out of respect for a woman, but Erza, Pastry and Leon looked. Erza and Pastry were shocked, while Leon narrowed his eyes. She was wearing armored leggings, made of a certain golden metal, and given a silver trimming all along it.

"Leon, is that…?" Pastry started.

"Yeah. That's the leggings of the Herculean God Armor." Leon answered his unfinished question. It was one of the armor pieces he was looking for.

"I had these fitted so I could wear them whenever I go." Ikaruga stated, dropping her kimono, and hiding the leggings once more, "They aren't my style, but they do give a great boost of strength when I need to kill someone painfully."

Leon gritted his teeth, pulling out his greatsword from behind his back as he barked, "A woman like you doesn't deserve those leggings, OR that sword! Not one who choses to kill her clan and becomes an assassin afterwards. That's why, when I defeat you, I'm taking them both!"

"Is that so?" Ikaruga questioned him, "In that case, when I strike you down, then I'll claim Titania for our master." Erza looked to Leon, wondering if he would agree to such terms.

"Just to let you know, I don't intend to lose!" the blue-haired swordsman growled, and he unleashed a heavy swing with his blade, unleashed a powerful sharp gust towards Ikaruga. He followed this up by transforming his Aegis Blade into its' shield form, and getting into a kneeling position. The woman smirked as she readied her blade. With one slash, she eliminated the oncoming attack, making it diminish almost instantly. Leon felt some sort of attack hit his shield, but he wasn't sure. However, what followed proved his theory. All of a sudden, his Aegis Blade shattered, and his long coat shredded up, though everything under it was still intact. Erza and Sho were shocked at what had just transpired.

"Oh my? Were you expecting that blade to defend you?" Ikaruga questioned him, giving a sinister glare. Leon refocused himself, glaring at the woman before him as she started to sing a haiku:

"Can you feel its' gaze

From the depths of the darkness

A Mononoke?"

 _'This woman is no joke. Her precision skills, plus her sword, make defending attacks pointless.'_ Leon thought to himself, _'Guess that means I only have one option; attack!'_

"Was that you just testing my skills?" Ikaruga questioned Leon, as if reading his thoughts, "Surely, you noticed the flurry of slashes I unleashed onto you and your attack? Now come and fight me at your full strength."

The blue-haired swordsman got back up onto his feet, dropping the handle of his broken Aegis Blade, and dismissing all the pieces so it could be repaired for later. However, the glare he gave at Ikaruga showed her how serious he was. "That's it. That's the gaze I've been waiting for."

"He's getting serious, isn't he, sis?" Sho questioned, turning to Erza, "Do you think he can win?"

"I'm not too sure. This woman is definitely skilled, but so is Leon. The question is how will he overcome her masterful precision?"

"Of course he can win!" Pastry assured the two, "When lives are at stake, he will do what he does best; being the guardian for all of us. Just believe in him, and he'll win, for sure!"

Leon Requipped right before their eyes, placing on the Shadow Rain Armor. "Your someone who gives sword-wielders a bad reputation, lady." he stated, "As it stands, you're my enemy, and one that needs to be vanquished."

"I'd like to see you try." Ikaruga responded, readying her blade. The two fighters waited for one of them to strike first. Finally, Leon dashed forward, readying his claymore. Ikaruga was ready, and the two unleashed powerful slashes at one another. Ikaruga clearly had the advantage in slash speed, but Leon was able to back off before the slashes did more damage.

"Rain down…" Leon growled, hold his blade high. Suddenly, a large number of dark, needle-shaped energy produced themselves all around him. " **Shadow Storm!** " With a swing of his blade, the needles rained down at Ikaruga, who didn't even move as they came.

" **Mugetsu-Ryu** …" she chanted, about to unsheathe her blade. In an instance, she unleashed a series of slashes that destroyed every single needle of energy, causing them to fall everywhere except where she stood, " **…Demon's Empty Flash!** " She finished, cheating her sword back, though the moment was so quick, no one saw her even fully unsheathe her blade.

"She cut every needle!" Sho gasped as Leon landed onto the ground in front of him and Erza. Ikaruga timed it as Leon landed to slash him, and his entire Shadow Rain armor was destroyed in an instance. The amount of damage that did caused him to howl in pain, but he didn't have time to tend to his wounds as the pink-haired swordswoman readied another attack.

" **Mugetsu-Ryu…** " she chanted, and an intense heat started to circle around her.

"Watch out, Leon!" Pastry called out, bracing himself behind Erza's leg so as not to be blown away from the heated wind.

" **…Garuda Flame!** " Ikaruga gathered the heated energy around her, and unleashed a blazing slash that sent a stream of flames at Leon. However, he was already Requipped into his next armor to block the attack; his Flame Emperor Armor. Even without his blade, he withstood the attack, though it sent him skidding backwards away from the others.

"Ah, the Flame Emperor Armor." Ikaruga noticed, "Much like Titania's Flame Empress Armor, it is highly resistant to Fire magic."

"True that. It was pretty useful for getting close to Palva when her magic was ballistic." Pastry noted to the other two. Erza couldn't forget that moment at Galuna when he used it to get close to her to give her the Dragonic Fang when her flames were out of control.

"I'm impressed that you were able to Requip into it so quickly. However…" At Ikaruga's last words, Leon's armor shattered, leaving him bare-chested. He winced at how much damage he took, but he held his ground. "Isn't it rather indecent to wear such an outfit before a lady?" she questioned, indicating herself and Erza.

"Believe me, Erza's been dealing with Gray, so she shouldn't complain…" Leon grunted, walking back to where he stood at the beginning of the fight, "And I don't give a crap about your opinion on how I look."

"My, you certainly have a tongue on you." Ikaruga stated, "Perhaps I should cut that out first before I end your life. Before that, why don't you show me your most powerful armor?"

"What a monster…" Sho growled. "She is very formidable." Erza stated, looking to Leon, "Does he have anything that can defeat her?"

 _'My Herculean God Armor sets I have won't do. It's incomplete, and difficult to repair.'_ Leon pondered, _'As for my two other armor sets…well, that one might stand a chance to overpower her.'_

He summoned a magic circle, Requipping into a brand new set of armor that Erza had never seen. What appeared was armor that looked like the armor of a viking, dark brown metal, with spiked round shields for shoulder guards, a horned helmet, brown baggy pants, steel-toed boots, and a two-handed battle axe in his hands.

"Witness my Viking's Rage Armor!" Leon roared, "It fills me with rage, and intensifies my attacks tenfold! Let's see you handle it!"

"So this is your most powerful armor?" Ikaruga asked him, "Let's see how formidable it is…"

Leon hammered the ground with his axe, unleashing a straight-lined shockwave that split the bridge in two as it came at Ikaruga. She smirked as with a slash of her blade, she diverted the attack, sending it around her to strike the wall far behind. Leon didn't stop there, as he rushed at Ikaruga with a warcry, then started spinning like a top as he drew near. The woman's eyes flashed as she parried his attack with several slices of her blade, though it caused the ground and everything around her to break and fall apart.

Leon backed off from her as he unleashed several more slashes with his axe, causing magic energy slashes to race along the ground, creating grooves in more parts of the bridge. However, Ikaruga was still much more able to deal with these slashes, and with one blinding flash, destroyed every single energy slash.

The raging axe-wielder heaved a breath as he leapt upwards, pouring his magic energy into his weapon. " **Skuldelev Slash!** " He roared, spinning like a chainsaw as he dashed down at Ikaruga. She readied to unsheathe her blade. In a quick instance, she dodged to one side as Leon's attack split the bridge fully down the middle with his attack, causing Erza, Sho and Pastry to brace themselves as their side tipped towards the water. Ikaruga then backflipped over Leon as she unleashed another slash, landing on the ground behind him. Leon grimaced as his armor started to crack, then break apart on him, its' remains scattering the ground beneath him. He coughed up blood, as the damage became internal, and fell to his hands an knees. He was physically and magically weakened. He couldn't keep this up much longer.

"Was that really your best armor?" Ikaruga asked him, "If so, then you might as well surrender. You cannot stand a chance to beating me, now. No matter what armor you use, it cannot defeat my sword."

"No…" Sho muttered, petrified at how one-sided this battle was. Erza was just as worried, seeing the condition Leon was in. Was there no chance of him winning this fight?

"Get up, Leon!" Pastry roared, getting the other two's attention, "How can you lie there and let her walk over you like that? If armor ain't the answer, then perhaps a weapon!"

Leon's eyes opened slowly, gritting his teeth as he glared back at Ikaruga, who turned back to him. "Yes, please show me. Test your best weapon against my sword." she taunted, as Leon struggled to get back onto his feet, "Mind you, it will not be enough to defeat me. No weapon has ever withstood my blade. After you see how useless you are, then I shall kill you, and Titania will be mine."

As soon as he got fully back onto his feet, Leon heaved a few times, before glaring at Ikaruga. "Yeah…your blade is tough…" he panted, "But…I still have…one last trick up my sleeve…" He Requipped again, going into his Swift Armor, and holding his spear to one side.

"The Swift Armor, isn't it?" the pink-haired swordswoman recognized the armor, "Do you plan to outpace my slashes? So sorry, but that won't help you at all. No matter how fast you are, my blade always finds its target."

"True…" Leon agreed, "But I wasn't finished preparing…" With magic, he exchanged his spear for a new sword. However, unlike every weapon that was known so far, this one was a simple one-handed longsword, with a lacrima orb at the hilt, which glowed a misty color.

"He's using a smaller weapon against her?" Sho questioned.

"I don't understand. Why would he use that instead of any other weapon?" Erza questioned, "It doesn't even have the same magical strength as his other weapons."

"But that's where you're wrong." Pastry retorted, getting her attention, "That sword…is Leon's strongest weapon. Because it embodies his heart within the metal."

Erza was confused, then looked back as Leon swished the blade to one side, holding it in full view to her. She glanced at it for a moment, then suddenly gasped as she recognized the blade. She knew only one other holder of that same exact weapon…

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ "Urgh!" On the outskirts of the East Forest, a younger Erza stumbled back and fell, her blade knocked up into the air, only to have it fall and sink into the ground blade-first behind her. Panting, she looked up at her opponent who had just bested her; Azure Cleaver. He was carrying the same exact blade as Leon, only with a slightly shorter blade. On the sidelines, the three Strauss siblings were watching their fight take place.

Azure shouldered his blade as he sighed, then looked down at Erza, who grimaced at her loss. "Guess I won this round." he stated.

"Ha! Guess that training bra of yours slowed you down, didn't it?!" Mirajane sassed.

"Shut it, you stupid witch! I bet you'd be too distracted by showing off your love handles!" Erza barked angrily at her. This turned up the heat on the two girls as they growled at one another.

"Break it up, you two…" Azure stated, daringly getting in between the two strong girls, "Though in a small way, Mira is kinda right."

"See?" Mirajane stated with a sinister smirk, while Erza looked very irritated.

"How is my armor a hinderance to me?!" Erza barked at Azure.

"Hold on, I said what she said was true in a SMALL way." he stopped her, "Let me bluntly state it out to you; the reason you lost is because you didn't put your heart into it."

This caused Erza confusion, then she argued, "What are you talking about? I put my whole heart into that battle."

"No, you weren't." Azure repeated, "Listen, I know when someone puts their heart in a fight, and you didn't place it fully in. Some of it was still locked away inside that armor. That's what I meant by before." Erza was slightly taken aback at this, not sure how he was able to come to this assumption.

"What do you mean, some of her heart was locked in her armor?" Lisanna asked him.

"Far as I can see, Erza was fighting just as strongly as she always had." Mirajane pointed out.

Azure sighed at their ignorant statements, then started, "I guess because you two aren't weapon-fighters, you wouldn't understand what I mean." He turned to Erza, "One of the first lessons I was taught was that a weapon is the key to a person's soul. Whatever your heart truly says is amplified when you cross weapons with someone, and only the best can hear it. When I was fighting you, I could hear your heart shouting, 'I'm suffocating in my conflict!'. That's what I get from you."

Erza was taken aback. How the heck was he able to understand what was going on inside her heart just through their battle? Was he able to understand how broken she was deep down? Could this mean he knows about her and her past, in the Tower of Heaven?

"Because your heart was in conflict, you prevented showing the parts you wanted to keep hidden." Azure continued, "As such, you didn't fight me at full strength. Don't just fight with what you WANT to show. Fight with what you want to overcome, otherwise, you'll always be weak and hindered by that part that holds you down."

"Fight…with what I want to overcome?" Erza questioned, worried about giving away a secret that Jellal forced upon her, so she retorted, "If that's the case, what are you trying to overcome? What does your blade say when it fights?"

"Maybe you should be answering me that. You were fighting me." Azure answered, "Tell me what I was saying when I fought you."

Erza had to think about it. During their fight, he was fighting with a lot of strength, and no matter how hard Erza pushed, he always fought back even harder. There was only one thing that she felt he was saying.

"You were saying… 'I refuse to be beaten by you, no matter what.'." she finally answered, "At least, that's what I think. And it became more so when you drew that sword."

Azure paused for a moment, then huffed a chuckle. "So that's what I said, huh? Well, I guess that makes sense. I can't imagine anyone wanting to purposely lose a full-on fight like this. However, you did note two key things. One is that I didn't want to lose to YOU, particularly. The other is this sword seems to amplify my desire to win."

"Come to think of it, you do get a lot more serious when fighting with that sword." Elfman pointed out, "You even give big sis a run for her money whenever you use it."

"I hate to admit it, but most of the time, whenever you pull out that sword, you become really hard to win against. Why is that?" Mirajane asked.

Azure looked at his blade, smiling as he answered, "Because this blade is important to me. It was the first blade I ever made."

"You made that sword?" Lisanna asked in awe.

"Sure did. My dad was a great blacksmith, so he taught me how to make it." Azure explained, "This blade was my first creation, and one that I placed all of my heart into making. It may not be the strongest blade to others, but it is something I treasure. Whenever I draw it, it's only for a fight that I want to truly win. I make modifications to it every now and then, like better metals and such, but it's because I poured my heart into making it is the true essence of what makes this blade my best."

The others were in awe of this, particularly Erza. Unlike her, instead of placing his heart in armor, he let it fully unveiled in his sword. This was why he was not afraid to back down from their fights.

"What about the first thing you noted that Erza said?" Mirajane asked him, "Why do you not want to be defeated by her, particularly?"

Azure took another pause, looking at Erza, then he answered, "Mainly because she looks a lot like my rival."

"Your rival?" Lisanna asked.

"Yep. She's as tough as they come, and filled with pride in being a fighter. She was raised alongside me ever since she was dropped off with my dad, and we devoted to becoming stronger than the other. So I never want to lose to her, no matter what."

Erza chuckled as she stated, "It's always good to have someone you consider a rival to defeat. I guess you can consider me and Mirajane similar in that sense."

Azure chuckled in response as he said, "I couldn't agree more. She and I are always at each other's throats whenever we have the urge to outclass the other. I guess it's because we are just that devoted…"

"Devoted to what?" Elfman asked.

Azure paused once more, then answered, "To protect. To become better and protect who or what we think is right." He looked up in the sky, while the other four watched him. He never really spoke about his past before coming to Fairy Tail, so when moments like this pop up, learning a bit about who he was around, they showed a little more about him than before they met.

"Well, that's enough talking about me." Azure stated, backing away from Erza, "What do you say? Another round? Let's see if you can unleash the full might of your sword against mine!"

Erza had almost forgotten the reason they stopped was for her. However, she smiled as she answered, "Fine then. I'll give it my all!"

"You'd better!" Azure responded, and the two charged at one another, clashing their blades with a loud metallic sound. _(Flashback ends)_

* * *

 _'There's no mistaking it. It's the same sword.'_ Erza thought to herself, _'Which means what Elfman and Mirajane said was true. He really is Azure!'_

"Lionheart." Leon addressed his blade, "That is the name of my sword, and the one that'll defeat you."

"Really? You think a simple sword as that can best my skills?" Ikaruga asked, "Or are you underestimating me?"

"Hardly. This sword is my most treasured belonging." he answered, "It is the closest thing I have to my forgotten past. Whenever I pick up this sword, it's only to take down asses like you who put up a decent fight."

"You speak as if you actually can best me." Ikaruga stated, readying her blade, "Forgive me, but I don't even know your name. Perhaps you should at least tell me that so I know who I have slain today."

"I am Leon Daywing, also known as Azure Cleaver. I am a guardian of not only the Himeka sisters, but also of Fairy Tail. And Erza Scarlet was the one who taught me how to use Requip magic." Sho looked to Erza, amazed that she had taught someone magic, particularly her own.

"She taught me, even though she was in pain deep down, after all that happened in this very tower." Leon continued, the cherry blossom petals flying past him, "I could feel it back then, when we were young, and I felt it even now, after she told her story. So, in exchange for her teaching me magic, I'll be her guardian, so that she won't hide her heart in that armor. You won't take her, and neither will Jellal!"

Erza was touched. Deep down, she knew she was weak. But she never expressed such things, and tried to convince everyone she was strong, hiding her heart inside her armor. When she was alone, she couldn't help but cry. There, she wouldn't show her weakness to everyone, and show how broken she really was. The only person who truly knew that pain was Azure, or rather Leon, way back then.

However, because she shielded her pain from others, she never allowed herself to open up to others, to show her emotions fully. She couldn't develop a true, loving bond with anyone. That is, until she joined Fairy Tail, where the care and kindness that she had not seen in her life finally broke through her armor, and in time, she learned to show her emotions again. And the support of all the people she bonded with in Fairy Tail now coming to help her now showed her that all the armor in the world was weak compared to the strength and endurance her friendship with everyone was.

Ikaruga and Leon didn't say a word as they readied their blades. The concentration on one another and on the power they were placing into their next attacks was so palpable, it sent shivers down Sho and Pastry's spines. It felt like an eternity of waiting to see who would attack first before Leon leapt forward at blinding speeds. Ikaruga drew her blade, shouting, "This is the end!". The lacrima orb on Leon's Lionheart shined. There was the sound of two blades slashing, but the sight was unrecognizable. Leon and Ikaruga had passed one another, their blades to their sides as they came to a halt. There was another moment of silence, as the three watchers waited with baited breath.

Suddenly, Leon coughed up blood, and a deep cut formed on his upper arm, causing him to drop his sword. "No!" Pastry gasped as Sho and Erza were in shock.

"And thus, you lose…" Ikaruga stated with a smirk.

Leon started to fall, but caught himself as he doubled over. With his mouth dripping with blood, he smirked as he started, "I told you…"

Ikaruga then felt intense pain, and a large gash diagonally going up her body suddenly formed, mortally wounding her. She was in shock as she fell backwards, blood flying from her wound. "Impossible…" she gasped.

"Yeah!" Pastry cheered, soaring into the air with an uppercut.

"That was incredible!" Sho added. Erza smiled at Leon's accomplishment. He had just defeated Ikaruga.

Leon wiped his mouth and turned to the fallen Ikaruga. His dropped Lionheart disappeared as he uses his magic to place it away. He walked over to her, seeing her face, now calm as she weakly chuckled, "This is…my very first defeat…since I joined the guild… It's so bitter, indeed…"

Leon didn't answer to this, but reached down and took her Mugetsu-Ryu and it's sheath, placing the sword into it. "As promised, I'll take my rewards; the blade and armor you unrightfully stole from your clan." he told her, using his Requip magic to place it away for another usage, "May they be at peace for your defeat."

Ikaruga chuckled as she stated, "It doesn't matter… Both you and Jellal are destined for defeat…"

"What do you mean by that?" Sho growled as he, Erza and Pastry approached them.

"Fifteen minutes…" Ikaruga raised her hand to the sky, then weakly sung a haiku:

"The light of justice

shall come raining from the sky

it shall kill us all."

With her last poem, her hand limply dropped to one side as the life left her body. She had died. "What a wretched haiku…" Erza growled, "Do you think she was talking about the Etherion?"

"And in only fifteen minutes? We gotta book it!" Pastry exclaimed.

"Hey, Erza?" Leon got her attention as he grasped his injured arm, "Can you…get that armor she's wearing? I'd hate to undress a woman myself, let alone a dead one."

Erza respected his morals for not taking off the armor himself. With the two young men and the cat not looking, she took off the Herculean God Armor leggings, and gave them to Leon. "Can you still move?" she asked him.

Leon nodded, then added, "But I don't think I'll be able to keep fighting with this injury and my condition. Plus, I exhausted my magic energy."

"That's fine. Take Sho and Pastry, and go find Simon and the others. Get them far away from this tower, immediately!" Her orders perplexed the three guys as Sho muttered, "Sister…?"

"You're not planning to stay here and fight Jellal, are you?!" Pastry questioned, "That's suicide! That Etherion thing's gonna come down in less than a quarter of an hour!"

Leon didn't panic like his partner, but stared at Erza as she smiled and asked, "I know it's hard, but please do this for me. Please?"

Leon didn't answer this, but his eyes suddenly widened. For a moment, he saw a visual of someone. She looked exactly like a much younger Erza, only she wore a different kind of soldier's armor. "Please come back, okay?" she echoed in his ear.

The flashback was only for a moment before Leon came back to reality. Shaking his head of this visual, he nodded in understanding. He then repeated what he just heard, "Please come back, okay, Erza?"

The scarlet-haired swordswoman nodded, then passed by Leon as she underwent Requip. What she adorned next was new. She looked like a female samurai, with her hair in a high ponytail, wearing nothing but bandages over her chest, and red hakama with yellow and black-lined flares on the bottom. She was also barefooted, and carried a katana in one hand. "I'm going to settle things, once and for all." she muttered as she walked off.

"But, she won't make it back!" Pastry exclaimed, "We have to stop her."

"No." Leon silenced him, "Let's listen to her, and leave. None of us are in any condition to stop her. Besides…" He looked back the path they came as he finished, "…I know someone else who hates seeing people sacrifice themselves."

* * *

Meanwhile, slowly climbing up the tower towards the top was Simon and Dori, with the former carrying Natsu on his back. Dori was looking better than she did before, but still quite worn out from her previous fight.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Simon asked her, "I can handle things with Salamander by myself."

"Don't be ridiculous." Dori retorted, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. It's just…there are way too many stairs here."

Just then, Simon stopped, and placed his fingers on the temple of his forehead. Dori stopped and looked at him, before understanding what he was doing. _'Telepathic communication.'_ she realized, _'He was doing this before some time ago. Guess he has more than darkness on his side.'_

Just then, Natsu started to stir, then gasped in shock and sickness as he came back to everyone. "Well, look who finally came around." Dori stated.

"What the…?" he groaned, looking about.

"I was wondering when you were gonna come around." Simon stated.

"Last thing I remember was flying around in circles…" Natsu started, and his cheeks bulged, tempted to puke once more.

"Stop it! How can you get sick just by remembering it?!" Simon questioned, not wanting his clothes covered in his chunks.

"A visualizer, like my sister…" Dori mumbled with a sweat-dropped expression.

Once Natsu held it back in, Simon began explaining, "After you were eaten by that owl man, Fukuro, Gray and Dori came in to save you. He was exhausted after the fight, but he and your cat friend are flying back down to secure a boat for us."

"You're welcome." Dori huffed as Natsu looked at her, "Next time, try to be more wary. It was disgusting trying to get you out."

"Sorry…" he moaned, "Still this sucks that I lost, but you guys beaten it."

"You weren't actually defeat, but more like you were swallowed." Simon explained.

"That's beside the point." Dori sighed as Natsu got off of Simon's back, "Still, if Gray wasn't there, I don't think I would've won, either. I need to intensify my training in aerial combat and speeding targets."

"Gray's gonna hang this over our heads for at least a month!" Natsu whined, "Man this sucks! I demand a rematch! Bring that bird brain back, and I'll get my revenge on him!"

"Get over yourself…" Dori sighed as he and Simon looked disparagingly at Natsu's pouting.

"This is not the time for that!" Simon growled, grabbing Natsu by the scarf and dragging him up the stairs.

As soon as Natsu calmed down, he got back up and asked, "Not to be rude, but do I know you?"

"He was just with us when we fought that owl…" Dori muttered, wondering how he could forget, "His name is Simon. He's apparently an old friend of Erza's, and is helping us stop Jellal."

"Oh, I see. Nice to meet ya!" Natsu greeted him, while Dori sighed at Natsu's slow wit.

Simon didn't answer, but winced in pain. "Seems like I'm not the only one who took a beating from Fukuro." Dori noticed, "You sure YOU'RE gonna be okay?"

"Don't worry about me." he answered, "I just got word from Wally. He and Millianna found Lucy, Juvia and Palva, but they're all exhausted. However it looks like they managed to take down one of the Trinity Raven members."

"That's good!" Dori sighed in relief, "Good thing my sister was there. Hope she didn't cause too much trouble for the others."

"They hadn't heard we weren't enemies anymore, and Palva was ready to attack Millianna. However, Lucy was able to calm things down, and I informed Wally and Millianna to take the two out of the tower." Dori sweat-dropped at reminding herself why Palva wanted to attack the cat girl in the first place. Should've told her that she made things even with her fight with her.

"Sho's also informing me that Leon killed the last of the Trinity Raven." Simon added, "Leon was injured, so he's retreating with Sho and one of your cats, Pastry."

"Aw man! I didn't get to do anything!" Natsu exclaimed.

"True, but we are heading to the top, where Jellal is at, right?" Dori asked Simon.

"Right, and Erza's going after him." the muscular man added, startling the others. She was planning to take on Jellal by herself? What was she thinking?

"She's got a score to settle, and like it or not, she wants to do it on her own." Simon continued, "Those two have been interwoven in a twist of fate for eight long years. It's their destiny to end up fighting one another. I'm worried about her, because Jellal is stronger than she knows." He turned to the two mages behind him and asked, "I beg of you. Please help her fight him."

"Not gonna happen." Natsu denounced almost immediately, shocking the other two.

"What are you saying?!" Dori demanded the Dragon Slayer.

"You claim to be Erza's friend, but you refuse to help her?!" Simon demanded, walking back to him and placing him into the tower wall.

"This is her fight. She can handle it on her own." Natsu retorted, "She'd never forgive me if I butted into the action like that." Dori could understand him for respecting Erza's battle. But even so…

"There's no way she could ever beat Jellal…" Simon stated, letting go of Natsu.

"What?!" Natsu snapped, "She's stronger than you can give her credit for, so watch your mouth!"

"Natsu, calm down!" Dori silenced him, turning to Simon, "Tell me, why is it impossible for Erza to stop Jellal? Is it because of their bond?"

"Exactly. Despite all that has happened, Erza still want to save Jellal. Deep down, she could never truly hate the boy in her childhood. However, Jellal knows this, too, and will manipulate those feelings to his advantage. And that's not all. The Magic Council is preparing to fire an Etherion blast. When that happens, the tower and anyone else will be wiped out. If what Sho said was correct, we only have ten minutes."

This short time limit shocked the Fairy Tail mages. That didn't give them near enough time. But that didn't make any sense. If there was so little time, then why would Erza stay behind and fight against Jellal? If she was doing what they guessed, then it went against every fiber of their beings.

"Erza ordered everyone to evacuate, and went to face him alone." Simon finished, "If you know her as well as you say you do, you know what she's up to. She's giving up her life. When the blast hits, it will take them both down, together."

"You should've said that in the first place!" Natsu barked, "Tell me where Erza is, right now!"

"She's going to try and sacrifice herself again?! Even after she promised me before she wouldn't do that?!" Dori questioned, "I warned her what I would do if she would try that again. Damn you, Erza! Damn it!" With that, the two mages charged up the steps ahead of Simon, heading towards the top as quickly as possible.

* * *

Down at the docks below, Gray and Happy waited for the rest of the team to show up. Sure enough, the first people to arrive were Lucy, Juvia, Palva, Wally and Millianna. Palva was able to calm down and tolerate the cat girl, though Juvia was still unconscious. Sho, Leon and Pastry were next, having found a shortcut that led them back down to the ground floor. Once they were all together, Palva tied her lance to the front of the boat, and started to carry everyone off with her Fire Dragon's Jet Lance. However, some of them were having second thoughts.

"Turn the boat around!" Gray ordered Palva.

"That ain't happening, so close your head!" Wally retorted.

"Yeah, Erza told us to get away from the tower as far as we can." Pastry pointed out, who was in a hug by Millianna.

"But Natsu, Dori and Erza have no way of leaving!" Lucy pointed, "They're stuck there."

"Big sis and the others will be fine. I trust her!" Sho stated.

"Yeah, well I believe in Dori bringing her out of there." Leon stated, turning to Palva, "She's not gonna let Erza sacrifice herself."

"But those guys need all the support we can give them!" Gray grimaced, trying to move despite his injuries.

"F'get about it. Simon's with them, so I'm sure it'll work out just dandy." Wally pointed out.

"Well it's not gonna be dandy if they end up dead!" Lucy barked angrily.

"Shut your damn trap, Lucy!" Palva barked, silencing her in shock.

"Nya, you shouldn't yell like that." Millianna stated, only to quiver in fear at the glare Palva gave her.

"Don't you dare say my sister is gonna die, because she won't!" she growled, "She won't sacrifice herself like this, and she won't let any of those other guys die. Not Natsu, not Erza, no one! They will all come back alive!"

"Palva's right." Pastry agreed, "In fact, I've never seen someone more passionately detesting sacrifices in my life than Dori. She always wants to protect everything and anyone she holds dear to her, without losing any of it." Gray couldn't help but think back to Galuna Island, when he tried using the Ice Shell to seal both Lyon and Deliora, only for Dori to stop him, with the first time alongside Natsu.

"But…why is that?" Lucy asked.

Pastry didn't answer, and neither did Leon. Both of them looked to Palva, who didn't look back at the two, but kept looking forward as she carried the boat out to sea. The others looked at their gazes, and assumed that something involving Palva was the reason why Dori hated sacrifices so much.

"Can we please try to get along?" Happy asked, watching as the shore became more distant from them, "I want to help Natsu and the others just as badly as you guys, but it's pointless because Etherion will be fired any moment now!" He turned to everyone, who saw the tears forming in his eyes. He was indeed worried for his dear friends as he continued, "I believe Natsu and Dori will bring Erza back. Simon told me so! He knows Dori is capable of taking on Jellal, what with her incredible strength, and Simon also stated that once Natsu awakens his true powers deep within, he'll be unstoppable. Not even Jellal will be able to beat the two of them!"

All of the mages on the boat looked at Happy as he sobbed, which especially broke the cat girl's heart. Pastry looked down, unable to deny his worry for his comrades, and wishing he was there with them. Palva gripped her lance tightly as she told herself, _'Natsu was able to save me from Ashes, and my sister…well, there's no need to explain her potential. If there were any two people that I can believe to find Erza and come back alive, it's them. Please, big sis and big bro, come back safely…'_

* * *

Up at the top, Jellal was sitting at his throne, with the scattered pieces of the game board next to him all over the floor, with the exception of a few pieces still on the table; the knocked over castle wall that represented Simon, the dragon for Natsu, the cut gem for Dori, the knight for Erza, which he placed in front of his own game piece, which was that of a king. He sighed as he stood up, and looked to the entrance to see Erza walk right into the room.

"Don't tell me the game's over already?" he sighed.

"Do you find it so amusing, toying with people's lives?" Erza questioned him.

"It is indeed." Jellal answered, walking to the opposite side of the room from Erza, not even taking off his hood, "Life and death, after all, are the origin and focus of all emotions. What could be more dreary than living day after day. It's been a while, Erza."

"It certainly has…" Erza growled, the glare she was giving showing how serious she was in facing him, here and now, "Sho and the others are no longer under your influence."

"That's fine with me." Jellal responded nonchalantly, "Now that the Tower of Heaven is complete, I have no need for them."

"You don't seem concerned that it'll be destroyed in less than ten minutes…" Erza pointed out, pointing her katana blade at Jellal.

"You mean the Etherion?" he questioned, and he chuckled, which sounded more menacing than amusing.

Erza seemed suspicious at this attitude, so she asked, "So nonchalant. I assume this means it was all a bluff?"

"Not so!" he answered, unveiling his face, displaying his demented expression, "Etherion will descend upon this place."

"I'm relieved to hear it." Erza answered, readying her katana in both hands, "Then that means I only need to keep you occupied for the next ten minutes!"

"No! When the beam strikes, your life will be sacrificed for Zeref!" Jellal retorted, an evil energy emanating off of him, "That is certain. You cannot avoid your fate. This is your destiny!" He closed his right eye, only to snap it open, unveiling a new emblem around his pupil.

For the next couple minutes, the two didn't waver from one another. Erza knew she didn't have that much time. She knew what she promised Leo might as well be a lie. It was as she stated before; win or lose, she will die here, whether by Jellal or by Etherion. The only thing she could do was take him down with her.

"There are only seven minutes left, you know?" Jellal reminded her, "We only have that much time before Etherion will rain down on us. Why don't we simply enjoy these last moments together?"

"Right now, I have no fear. Even when Etherion blasts this tower, I will be satisfied knowing I'm taking you down with me."

"Oh really? Is that what you think?" Jellal questioned, the magic energy in his right hand congealing and morphing with black and red energy, like some sort of strange, cell-like organism, "Well, we'll just see about that!" He unleashed the energy like a creatures unleashing tentacles at Erza, who swiftly slashed the attack. The density of Jellal's magic attack caused the broken pieces to crash to the ground behind her, breaking the ground.

Erza next came at Jellal with a leaping sword slash, but he caught her by her weapon hand, using a blast of magic that sent Erza flying, but caused part of the tower head to be destroyed. Erza didn't falter, but used the debris of the destroyed tower to bring herself back to Jellal once more.

"You destroy the one thing you worked so very hard to complete?! What's the point?!" Erza demanded, coming at Jellal with a slash, who dodged it before unleashing another blast off energy from his hand, only for Erza to dodge, landing on the large lacrima in the middle of the room. She then charged at him, enraged, unleashing a slash that Jellal dodged, but destroyed the game board behind him.

"A pillar or two are nothing but decorations." Jellal pointed out.

"Sho and the others placed their utmost faith in you and built those decorations for eight years!" Erza reminded him.

"How is it you find fault in everything I say?" Jellal asked amusingly, holding up a ball of the congealed magic energy, "I never forced them to work; they chose to. They knew how important the tower was to me. And at long last…" he broke his ball of magic as he finished, "…it's complete!"

Erza suddenly felt something at her feet, and looked down to see the black and red-marked energy grow off the ground like kelp, before blasting out of the ground, encasing Erza in an orb of magic energy. She was suffocating under the energy encasing her, and was struggling to try and break free of it.

"While I can see you've honed your skills since then, I guess that's as far as you can go." Jellal stated, walking around the orb of magic energy encasing Erza, going towards his throne.

Inside the dark orb, though she struggled in the pressuring magic energy, and as darkness seemed to start to succumb her, something started to shine through.

 _"This isn't like you, Erza."_ Gray's voice echoed in her ear.

 _"Erza, we won't leave without a good reason, and we won't leave with your back turned to us! Either way, we're helping you out!"_ Leon followed.

 _"No matter what happens, we always have your back!"_ Lucy added.

 _"Aye, we're the strongest team!"_ Happy agreed.

 _"I always believed in you, Erza. Just like I have for the past eight years."_ Simon stated.

 _"Just believe in him, and he'll win, for sure!"_ Pastry declared.

 _"Sister…_ " Sho muttered.

 _"And just like you helped me, we're gonna help you with fighting against Jellal, and free you from the burden!"_ Palva called out, _"And then, you're coming home with us, alive! You can even bring your friends here with us!"_

"Everyone…" Erza muttered, thinking on all her friends from eight years ago, to the ones she has in Fairy Tail.

 _"I want a rematch when we get back to Fairy Tail!"_ Natsu demanded.

 _"GIVE ME YOUR WORD! NEVER TRY TO KILL YOURSELF LIKE THAT AGAIN!"_ Dori roared at her.

With the words of encouragement and promises she had to keep, Erza smiled, her body functions coming back to her. With a pair of slashes, she sliced herself out of the orb of magic energy, breaking free and shocking Jellal. The only thing that got damaged was the bindings that formed her high ponytail, as her hair fell loosely down her back. "I already told you… As of now, I have no fear!" Erza told the man before her. She dashed at him, and with one slash, she unleashed an energy slash that struck Jellal's gut, sending him gagging in pain.

 _"This is not the weak girl I remember!"_ Jellal pondered as he fell on his back, as Erza approached him, crawling on top of him, restraining one of his arms with her free hand, and pointing her blade at his neck, her expression fierce and determined. It even caused Jellal to be afraid.

While Erza was dead-set on wanting to kill the man underneath her, there were still some things she had to ask before she went through with the deed. "Why don't you tell me what your true goal is here, Jellal?" she questioned him, "You and I both know the R-System is actually incomplete, don't you? I wasn't just biding my time these past eight years. I was researching all about the R-System. It's true that the construction and theory went according to plan. However, there is still one thing you don't have. A vital part to it's completion."

"That's not true. Your sacrifice will complete it." Jellal pointed out.

"No, something even more basic than that: Magic energy." Erza retorted, "To activate such a large-scale spell, you need an enormous amount of magic power. You wouldn't even have enough if you gathered every mage on the continent. It's impossible for this tower to accumulate that amount of magic, and you certainly can't do it alone. I find it also puzzling that you knew of the Magic Council's attack, and made no attempt to escape. What are you up to?!"

Jellal stayed silent for a moment, not answering Erza's question. Instead, he smirked as he stated, "Three more minutes until Etherion fires."

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Erza barked angrily, "You know your dream will never come true! Do you want to die like this?!" She squeezed her grip on Jellal's wrist hard, causing him to wince in pain. "If that's the case, we'll die together! I'll hold you down, and I won't let you go until the end!"

Once again, Jellal seemed quite calm at this moment. It was strange, that they were just trying to kill one another before, only now for him to be smiling at Erza, not intending to fight back. "Yeah… That doesn't sound too bad." he admitted, startling Erza, "My body was possessed by Zeref's spirit. It wouldn't move as I wanted. In a way, I am similar to that of Palva; a vessel that is being used, only instead of one of his demons, I literally hold Zeref himself within me. I'm just a doll being used to resurrect his body."

"You were possessed by him?" Erza questioned, shocked by this bit of news.

"I couldn't save myself." Jellal continued, "Neither my friends nor anyone else was able to save me. That's when I realized that there is no heaven nor does true freedom really exist. All of creation was finished before it even began."

Erza was in shock. All this time, she thought of Jellal as nothing but pure evil after that day eight years ago. She was driven to kill him when the time came, and wanted to end him now. However, this was not what she had expected; For the close friend she was intending to kill to be really possessed by the spirit of Zeref. It was almost similar to Palva's situation not too long ago. Their fates were cursed thanks to the demons possessing them within.

Suddenly, the room was starting to shake. The Etherion was almost ready to fire upon the two of them.

"I knew that it was impossible to complete the R-System." Jellal continued, "But Zeref's spirit wouldn't allow me to stop. I knew it was impossible, especially after witnessing the situation of Palva Himeka through the eyes of my brother. After seeing how she was freed from possession, I knew that it was hopeless for me. Our situations were different; she had allies, and was able to defeat the demon that had enslaved her. But Zeref's spirit had a much stronger control over me, and I was alone. I was unable to control myself, like a freight train with no brakes." He looked up at Erza's eyes, who was still startled at what she learned, then finished, "I surrender. Kill me, Erza. Isn't that why you came looking for me?"

The final orders of her once dear friend struck a chord with Erza's heart. Now that he was asking to be killed, she wasn't sure if she wanted to do the deed. She was so determined to do so before, but now…she didn't have the will to do it anymore. Jellal looked so weak and helpless, and remembering her feelings for him before, it tore her heart to see how hopeless of a life he had before now. There was no way. She couldn't do it. Not to the boy she cared for so much in the past.

She drew her sword away from his neck, surprising Jellal. She let go of his arm, and placed her sword away. "There's no need for me to spill your blood. Satellite Square is already expanding above us." she said softly, "The Etherion is about to fire at any moment. It's over, both for you and me…"

Both Erza and Jellal stood to their feet, looking away from each other. "You little screw-up, you…" the blue-haired man muttered.

"So all this time, you were just a victim of Zeref?" Erza asked.

"It's my fault for losing to my own weakness." Jellal stated with guild, "Because of the gap between dreams and reality, my heart wasn't able to hold out."

Erza looked at his back as she responded, "The only people who were able to save you…from your flaws and your weaknesses…were your friends."

Jellal looked back at her, the expression of sympathy for his actions shown on his face as he answered, "You're right…"

"Let me atone for the sin of being unable to save you." Erza requested, holding Jellal close, "Can you forgive me?"

"Erza… You have saved me." he answered, hugging her right back. They held each other close as the light of the Etherion shined through the crumbling ceiling.

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

The Satellite Square was preparing to fire the Etherion, with the members of the Magic Council bowing their heads in prayer for what is to come. Yajima was still looking very carefully at Jellal, as he didn't bow his head like the others, but watched the spell about to take place.

"Let us pray to the sacred light for forgiveness!" Org called out, raising his staff high, "Let us fire the Etherion at once!"

Outside, the massive ball of powerful magic energy that was encased around the four pillars suddenly shot into the sky, aiming towards the Satellite Square, prepared to unleash it's full power down onto their target; the Tower of Heaven.

* * *

Outside the range of the attack, the mages of Fairy Tail and Erza's friends on the boat watched as the bright light shined down upon the Tower of Heaven. The magic energy was so intense, that even though it hadn't fired yet, the waves were getting rougher by the second. Palva had to cling onto her staff for dear life as she held her best on the water.

"Damn, it's bright!" Pastry grimaced.

"It's heading straight for the tower!" Happy exclaimed, the tears in his eyes showing how afraid he was for his friends in the tower.

"Natsu! Erza!" Gray shouted.

"Dori, get out of there!" Leon roared.

Palva, who was having a tough time talking, looked back with one eye, fearing for her family's safety. _'Sis…Big brother…'_ she thought.

Inside the tower, Simon was unable to walk, and was back against a wall, feeling the bright light about them. "That light…we didn't make it in time…" he moaned.

Up above, Dori and Natsu were racing up the steps, getting closer and closer to the top, even as the Etherion approached them. "Erza!" Natsu roared.

Dori looked out the window near them and gasped, "Ah, crap! Here it comes!"

Erza was still hugging Jellal, waiting for the inevitable to come. Jellal hugged her back, but something was wrong with him. He wasn't showing the same expression as her, but of that of a malicious grin. All was going according to plan.

The Etherion struck down. The tower was breaking apart from the impact. The five mages inside the tower braced themselves as the attack encased them. Everything was blinded by the powerful light of Etherion. The shockwaves that followed caused tidal waves that sent the boat flying. Palva flew off her lance, screaming for her family in the tower.

The fate of everyone in the destroyed tower was about to change everything.

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER! Had to leave it there before the holidays. So what did you think of my setup for this? I decided to give Ikaruga a little bit of a background, and I know I made it kinda 'Itachi Uchiha' style-like for her backstory, but I wanted it to be personal for Leon in some way, and this was the best I could think of without making his backstory so complex. And I know the battle was similar to that of Erza's battle against Ikaruga, but still making it fresh in some ways, like having Erza freed from Sho's card before they met the woman, as well as adding a new piece of info to Leon's backstory. So he speaks of a rival he had, as well as his father being a blacksmith. But what does this lead to? Are people getting any pieces together? If so, then try not to spoil it for anyone. We can't have that.**

 **Now, we have a sympathizing Erza, a malicious Jellal, an injured Simon, and a raging Natsu and Dori in the tower as the Etherion blasts down. The fate is definitely gonna change for them, and for those who know what is to come, the next battle is gonna be super intense, with plenty of changes, losses, and a conclusion that'll leave you wanting more. I hope to do that soon, but I need to recover from the business of the holidays.**

 **As always, like my work, leave a review, tell your friends, and hopefully I'll finish the next chapter up before 2018. If not, see you next year!**


	18. Heaven's End!

**Previously on Fairy Tail:**

 _(Leon speaking)_ While the Magic Council was preparing to fire the Etherion, I ended up stopping Sho thanks to Pastry, and managed to reason with him enough to free Erza. However, as we tried to reach Jellal, we were stopped by a woman named Ikaruga, the leader of the Trinity Raven. Due to my understanding with the clan she was from, and how she assassinated all of them, I chose to fight her. It was a tough battle, but I managed to defeat her, taking her clan's sword, the Mugetsu-Ryu, and the leggings of the Herculean God Armor she possessed. But me, Sho and Pastry were all unable to help Erza as she continued on to stop Jellal.

Meanwhile, Simon was explaining to a reawakened Natsu and Dori that while everyone else was heading to the docks to escape the tower before Etherion fired, Erza planned to sacrifice herself to defeat Jellal. This got under the two Fairy Tail mages's skins, and they charged up to save her.

Erza managed to reach Jellal and, after a small bout, the former took down the latter. However, Jellal stated that he was unable to control his actions due to Zeref's spirit possessing him. However, as Erza was asking forgiveness for not saving him sooner, the Etherion blasted onto the Tower of Heaven, with the two, Simon, Natsu and Dori still inside. But what happens next changed everything…

* * *

In the waters near the crumbling tower, the now-conscious Juvia had just reached out and pulled Palva out of the water, placing her a water dome of her creation, which was large enough for the entire group to be in. Everyone else was too distracted by pillar of light that encased the Tower of Heaven.

"Are you alright?" Juvia asked the female Dragon Slayer. She didn't answer, but coughed up the water in her lungs, gasping as she looked, horrified, at the sight before her. The beam of light in which encased three of her dearest friends and family within.

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

"The Etherion scored a direct hit on its' target." one of the amphibious workers of the Satellite Square called out.

"Was the target successfully destroyed?" another worker asked the others.

"The density of the Ethernano fusion is increasing!" "Extreme weather conditions are expected!" Their jumbled up information was being spoken out from all over the room. All the while, the members of the Magic Council were sighing, whether in despair or in relief, at the act they just followed through with.

"Who knows how many people could have been in that tower." Org questioned.

"We prevented Zeref's resurrection." Michello pointed out, "They were sacrifices for the greater good. It was unavoidable."

"Regardless of how we justify our actions, the hearts of the victims' families won't be eased." Org muttered, worried about the consequences of what they just did. Truly this was unforgivable, no matter the excuse.

* * *

Back at the sight of the blast, everyone was petrified as they watched in the water bubble the eruption of steam and smoke from the Etherion blast.

"It can't be…" Lucy whimpered, only thinking about the three victims she cared for inside the tower.

"Natsu…" Happy sobbed, with tears in his eyes.

"Sis…big bro…" Palva followed, showing the same expression as Happy.

Leon stayed quiet, but his gut was wrenching at the sight of the attack. It was unbelievably powerful, and it was sick that such a weapon existed. Was there any possibility that their friends survived?

* * *

Erza had her eyes closed, kneeling, still gripping Jellal in a tight embrace. She felt the attack consume the two of them, and for a moment, she thought she had died. However, something was wrong. She didn't feel anything that would guess that she had died. In fact, she felt just as fine as she did before the Etherion struck. She opened her eyes, looking about. She was no longer in the same room as before. She was in an area that was completely made of glowing, aqua-blue crystal.

As Jellal stood back up, Erza looked at herself. "We're alive?" she asked, seeing her condition just the same as before. Just then, she heard something that froze her heartbeat; Jellal was chuckling, and not in a comfortable way. "What have you done?" She asked him. Jellal didn't answer, but broke out into a hearty laugh. It didn't take too long for Erza to realize he knew this was gonna happen. She had been played by him.

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

"Ethernano is being neutralized around the epicenter! That's impossible!" "There's a sudden decrease in fusion density." "A strong magical energy of unknown origin has appeared!" "The counter can't keep up!" "What could this be?!"

The news from those working the Satellite Square was no where near good news to the Magic Council. They were petrified in shock as they heard all this news. How could the Etherion turn out to be a failure? Suddenly, they were able to get broadcast feed using magic, and witnessed a sight that was truly terrifying.

"The target is still standing!" "It's a giant lacrima!" The Magic Council was in shock at the sight of what was before them. On the magic screen, they could see the tower of blue lacrima, now being the true form of the Tower of Heaven.

"The lacrima absorbed Etherion's magic!" Leiji gasped.

"Impossible!" Org gasped, wondering how could this be.

Meanwhile, Seigrain was approaching the banister, smiling at the sight as Yajima approached from behind, demanding, "Seigrain, I think it's time you should start explaining yourself!" However, what followed was something startling. Seigrain just vanished before his eyes. Wondering what happened to him, Ultear stood in the shadows, smiling at Yajima's confusion.

* * *

Down with the survivors in the boat, they were all wondering what happened to the tower after the blast. The answers they were looking for at this moment were suddenly coming into fruition when the smoke cleared, and they gazed upon a sight of which they had never seen. What replaced the crumbling tower before was something just as awe-inspiring; A tower made completely up of crystal.

"Crystal?!" Happy questioned.

"No, not crystal…" Gray answered, with Leon following up with, "A giant tower of lacrima."

"But how is this freakin' possible?!" Pastry exclaimed, flying in between Wally and Millianna.

"So, you think they're okay?" Lucy asked, a little bit of hope coming back, "Maybe they survived the attack, and they're still inside!" Everyone looked towards the tower, hoping for the same thing.

"That giant lacrima is the R-system?" Gray questioned Erza's friends.

"Yeah. This is the true form of the tower we built." Wally answered.

"Nya! It's been activated!" Millianna realized.

"It's activated?!" Lucy echoed, "Does this mean Zeref is going to be resurrected?!"

"I don't know." Sho answered, "This is the first time we've seen it working."

"And Natsu, Dori and Erza are in the middle of that thing, as well as Simon and Jellal." Leon noted, "Damnit! I really hope our comrades are okay…"

"They have to be." Palva answered, "I can't smell them, what with the intensity of that magic tower fogging my senses, but I can tell they're still alive. We just have to pray that they will all be safe!" Everyone looked up at the tower, hoping for the same thing as her.

* * *

Back inside, Natsu and Dori were recovering from what they had just endured. Looking up and about, Natsu growled, "What the heck happened?"

Dori was more concerned about the crystals that surrounded them. She reached out, and touched one of them. "It's lacrima…" she muttered, "The magic is so intense. I've never seen so much lacrima containing this much magic energy within."

"What're you talkin' about?" Natsu asked, looking at Dori as she looked up at the ceiling, which was also made of crystal.

"The Etherion was fired, so why are we still alive? And what's with all the lacrima?" the crystal mage was far gone from listening to Natsu. She scratched her chin, thinking. Then suddenly, her face went into shock as she gasped, "No…did he…?"

"What? What is it?!" Natsu demanded, worried about the expression showing on Dori's face.

"This is bad… I think Jellal intended for the Etherion to fire to create this place!" she stated, looking to Natsu, "If that's the case, then that means my theory about him and Seigrain is most likely right. If this is the case, then Erza might be still alive, but for how long, I can't say for sure. Either way, we have to keep moving!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Natsu roared, and the two charged up the tower of crystal, the floor a bit slippery thanks to the smooth crystal.

* * *

Up above them, Erza was in shock as she watched Jellal cackle madly at the creation all around him. "At long last, my hour of glory has arrived!" Jellal declared.

"Glory?" the petrified swordswoman echoed.

"This is the true form of the Tower of Heaven. A giant tower of lacrima. And thanks to the Council's Etherion, it successfully absorbed an enormous amount of magic. Now the R-System is complete!"

Erza stood up, finding it disbelieving. After all the words Jellal had just said before, and all the woes and grieving for his weakness, the truth was that he was lying. Everything he had said was false, just to gain Erza's heart and sympathy for him. He had betrayed her and her feelings once more. "You tricked me!" she growled.

"Your expression is priceless, Erza." said a similar voice to Jellal's from behind, and Erza turned in shock to see Seigrain standing there, somehow with the two of them on the tower. "Jellal isn't able to release his full power. He was really in trouble, so he had to trick you."

"Seigrain!" Erza gasped, watching the man pass by him, "I don't understand. What are you doing here?"

Seigrain didn't answer her, but instead stopped as he recalled something. "This reminds me back when we first met."

"You mean when she came to the Council with Makarov to hand a letter of apology?" Jellal recounted.

"She mistook me for Jellal and attacked me." Seigrain followed, "Well, we have the same face, so I can't blame her. She only calmed down after hearing we were twins. But still, you were hostile towards me from that day forward."

"What did you expect?!" Erza questioned Seigrain, "If you cared about your brother, you would've stopped him instead of covering his tracks! I know you've been spying on me and reporting back to him!"

"You're right." Jellal answered.

"That was my mistake." Seigrain followed, "In retrospect, I should've convinced you that I was gonna find Jellal and kill him. But my biggest mistake was running into you in the first place, especially after all the trouble it took to become a Magic Council member."

"There's nothing worse than coming up with excuses on the spot." Jellal sighed.

"I get it…" Erza understood, "So the two of you have been conspiring after all this time."

"Conspiring?" Jellal echoed.

"Not exactly…" Seigrain followed as the two came closer together.

"I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that." Jellal stated, and something started to happen to Seigrain. It started to phase, become slightly more translucent. The sight startled Erza, who begun to comprehend what they were about to say before they said it.

"We're not twins, but two face of one person." they spoke in unison, "And we have been from the start." Seigrain merged with Jellal, who glowed a rainbow hue as his 'twin' became one with him. He stood there, grinning at his victory. The victory he gained from deceiving everyone. Erza, the Magic Council, and the entire continent.

The fact settled into Erza's heart like a sea urchin, stinging and poking at her restlessly. "This can't be…" she muttered, taking a step back, "He was a thought projection?"

"That's right. Seigrain was me." Jellal answered, a slight pulse of magic exerted from his feet thanks to the merging.

"Then…you were responsible for firing Etherion!" Erza realized angrily, "You wormed your way onto the Magic Council just for that?"

Jellal didn't answer her, but instead told her, "I hope you are grateful for the freedom I gave to you all those years ago. Your release and everything else was all a part of my plan to resurrect Zeref!"

Erza curled her fists tightly. She was incredibly enraged at this point, for multiple reasons, and they all came from the man before her. "How many people have you deceived to get this far?!" she demanded.

"Magic energy…" Jellal muttered, and his body glowed with a purple aura, "I can feel it surging through my body!"

* * *

 **Magic Council Building, Era**

"A huge amount of magic energy is building up in the Tower of Heaven!" "If that much magic is kept in one place, it'll spontaneously discharge!" The amphibious workers were scrambling to figure out what had happened.

"We've been had!" Yajima growled, discouraging himself for not catching what Seigrain was really planning. He placed a hand on the stone railing next to him, and it instantly crumbled at his touch. In fact it wasn't just the railing that started to crumble, but also the floor. The entire building was starting to shake and crumble before everyone's eyes.

"What's happening to the building?!" Leiji questioned as the alarm activated, "It looks like it's starting to age and collapse!"

"It has to be the Arc of Time!" Org realized, "But that's one of the Lost Magics!"

Everyone was in a panic. The workers were running or flying out of the way of the aging rocks that were falling. No one was able to figure out who was casting the Lost Magic…at least, until Yajima noticed who was doing it. Standing in one place, holding a white magic circle in her hands, was Ultear, undisturbed by the collapsing building. "No, Ultear!" the short man called out, realizing she was responsible for all of this.

"This is all for Master Seigrain…no, for Master Jellal!" she declared, looking to Yajima with a surprisingly blissful face, "All of his hard work will pay off, and his dream will become a reality!"

* * *

At this point, Erza was sent tumbling away thanks to Jellal's magic. "What happened to the strength you just had?" Jellal questioned her, "Don't tell me you used it all up facing me before?"

Erza managed to pull herself out of her tumble, skidding to a halt, and summoned a magic circle, producing a claymore into her hand. "JELLAL!" she roared, leaping at him with blade at hand, swinging it at him. Jellal blocked the attack with a pulse of magic, and watched as Erza summoned another large blade in her other hand. He kept dodging and blocking all her strikes with his magic, though it was clear she had an abundance of energy still left in her.

"The Council's functionality is at a standstill right about now." Jellal stated, "I can't tell you how much of a blessing Ultear has been. She has done well. She has no fear of death, because she believes all of mankind will become one in heaven. She stated that she would even sacrifice herself for my ideals and my dreams. Truly, I must thank her…for her sheer idiocy."

"Curse you!" Erza roared, coming at him with both blades, to which he leapt out of the way, landing on a higher level of crystal, "I hope that you are cursed by everyone of the people you have used to your own foul ends!"

She leapt at Jellal again, swinging both blades one after another, intending to unleash a final blow on him. However, Jellal's eyes flashed as he avoided her attacks. Suddenly, Erza felt something protruding along her skin, circling around her right arm, preventing it from moving, and forcing her to drop her sword. "What the hell is this?!" she questioned in shock.

"That would be my Bind Snake." Jellal answered, "I placed it on you during our embrace earlier."

Erza screamed in pain as her entire body was being bounded by magic, paralyzing her and preventing her from moving an inch from where she stood. She could barely think of anything, other than how foolish she had been before to allow Jellal to get this close to bind her like this.

"I've got the magic I needed to activate the R-system. All that is left is the sacrifice, and then Zeref will be reborn." Jellal stated, walking up in front of her, "This is where you will take center stage for your moment in the spotlight, Erza. I will now proceed to fuse your body with this lacrima, and all of the two billion, seven hundred million ideas of magic energy it has absorbed. Your body will be broken down and reconstructed as Zeref's new body."

Suddenly, a large plinth of lacrima rose out of the ground behind Erza, more than large enough to encase her. Without mercy, Zeref shoved Erza into the lacrima. It was as if she was being sucked into gelatin, as her body was being absorbed by the crystal. First it was her waist, then it was her left arm, and it just continued to be absorbed, slowly. She was bound by the Bind Snake, and couldn't do anything but try to reach out to Jellal as he watched her get sucked in.

"I loved you once, Erza." the blue-haired mage stated, turning away as Erza cursed angrily, "Oh great and powerful Zeref! I call upon you, to sacrifice the flesh of this woman unto your might!"

Erza squinted, looking at Jellal as she cried out his name with all her might. However, it fell on deaf ears. The person she cared for long ago was about to sacrifice her, and she was unable to do anything. No one could help her. Tears were coming out of her left eye as she felt the end draw near for her.

Just then, a palm was placed on the opposite side of the lacrima Erza was being sucked into, and all at once, she was projected out of it, startling Jellal. The paralyzed swordwoman was startled as someone else appeared, catching her and holding her in his arms. It was Natsu, with Dori circling around the lacrima to join the two.

"Erza's a mage of Fairy Tail." Natsu stated, "You're not having her." Dori's expression was stern, but it showed the same thing that Natsu said.

"Natsu…Dori…" Erza gasped, amazed to see two of her dear friends there to save her. Jellal was shocked, but glared harshly at how his sacrifice was stopped by these two mages.

"You're gonna be okay, Erza." Dori assured her, "We're here."

"Jeez… What are you doing hanging around this loser?" Natsu asked casually to Erza, "If we don't get back to work, Lucy's not gonna be able to pay her rent. Trust me, you don't want to make her angry."

"I'm sorry, but my body won't move." Erza responded.

"For real?!" Natsu gasped, then he grinned mischievously, catching Dori's attention. Out of nowhere, Natsu started to tickle Erza all over the place, from her neck to the bottom of her toes, causing her to laugh uncontrollably. "This is payback for everything you put us through!"

"Stop! Stop it!" Erza laughed, trying to overcome the tickle attack.

It only took a couple seconds for Dori, but afterwards, she was standing with Erza hanging onto one of her shoulders, irritated, with a free fist raised, and Natsu on the ground, with a lump on his head. "I'm sorry. I don't think you understood how serious the moment is, Natsu." the crystal mage hissed, her eyes darkened in anger, "If you hadn't figured it out, I'll unleash another fist upon you…"

"No. That's okay. Message received…" Natsu moaned weakly.

Dori sighed at Natsu's childish demeanor from before, then heard Jellal state, "Well now. This is quite rude of you to interrupt Zeref's resurrection like this."

"Shut it, Jellal." Dori answered, turning to him, "Or should I call you Seigrain? You know, it's amazing how the two of you have the exact same looks, but I figured it was too coincidental you had the same tattoo around your eye."

"So you figured it out just because of that?" Jellal asked with a smirk.

"Oh, there were plenty of hints, but the biggest of which being that how you knew when the Magic Council would fire Etherion." Dori answered, "But if your 'brother' had a 'psychic link' with you, he knew the tower would absorb the magic of Etherion. But there was one other key hint here; There is no such thing as a psychic link between twins. That's a farce created by imaginative mages. So the only way you would know is if you cloned yourself to be a part of the Magic Council."

Jellal chuckled at this accusation, then followed, "How perceptive of you. As expected from someone of your talents and wits. I wonder if it was this that made Lord Zeref angry at your ancestor? It doesn't matter though, since I will soon resurrect him. Then, I will ask him myself."

Dori growled at this, knowing he was intending to take Erza from her and Natsu, who had started to get back on his feet again. "Listen, Dori…" Erza moaned, getting her attention, "You have to get away from here."

"Sorry, Erza. But we're not leaving." Dori answered, "This guy's already put you down, so it's up to Natsu and I to take care of him."

"You can't. He's too powerful." Erza warned her, "Besides, you and Natsu don't know anything about him."

"Who says we need to know the guy to beat him up?" Natsu asked, coming next to them. Dori agreed to that logic.

"Please…" Erza sobbed, and the two saw the tears coming down her eye again, "Just this once, do as I say."

The fact that she was crying was gut-wrenching. A person as proud and strong as her was looking pitiful and weak right now. It was something neither Natsu or Dori wanted to see.

Without a word, Dori shoved Erza off of her, making her fall a few feet away from them. She then stomped the ground, creating a magic circle. Suddenly, a sheet of the crystal surrounding them suddenly encased Erza in a dome, trapping her. Then after that, the ground within the dome rose, causing Erza to rise up to a higher level above them. "What are you doing?!" Erza demanded, still unable to move due to the bind, "Let me out of here! Don't fight him!"

As soon as the pillar of lacrima stopped, Dori looked up at Erza, who saw an expression that she only saw once before. The same expression that Dori gave when she smacked Erza for attempting to kill herself during their fight with José.

"Don't you dare bark orders at me, Erza!" she roared at her, startling the scarlet-haired swordswoman, "You attempted to kill yourself again. You broke the promise you made to me not so long ago! I am just as pissed off at you as I am at Jellal! Not just at you trying to kill yourself, but also acting so weak and pitiful, thinking Natsu and I can't win! So I will make sure you are punished for what you did, later on. For right now, shut your trap, wipe those tears, and let me and Natsu kick this guy's ass!"

Her rage and her anger-induced words Dori gave scared Erza, and it was enough for her to stop talking. Dori was truly the only person her age to terrify her so much into obedience. She had felt so pitiful about being fooled by Jellal in so many ways in the past few minutes, that she had lost all hope of beating him. Now, she was trapped, thanks to her friends, while the two confronted Jellal.

"Those were some harsh words there, Dori Himeka." Jellal stated, "Tell me, why would you speak down to her in such a way?"

"Because she deserved it." Natsu answered, getting the attention of the three in the vicinity. His fist started to burn with flames as he growled, "If it were me, I would've knocked her out, just to stop the tears. She looked so weak and fragile. Her voice was trembling in fear. I never want to see Erza like that. She's someone I look up to."

"As much as I hate her for breaking my promise and betraying my view of her, I am more pissed off at the person who caused all of that to happen to her." Dori followed, her body being encased swirling white magic, "The person who made Erza cry. The one who deceived so many people. The one who's planning to make a sacrifice of an innocent woman. That person is you, Jellal."

Both Fairy Tail mages gritted their teeth as they glared harshly at the man before them. The veins on Natsu's head matched those on Dori's fists. "If you want to get to her, you're gonna have to get through us!" they roared together. Erza was startled, feeling the intensity of the two mages's magic up where she was at. At this, she could feel a glint of hope. And it was telling her that they were seriously mop the floor with Jellal.

"Is that a fact?" Jellal asked the two, raising a palm to them, "Consider my interest peaked. I would love to see the power of the Dragon Slayer, as well as the mage who bested a fellow Saint."

Natsu was the first to make the first move, leaping at Jellal with a fist of flames. Jellal blocked the attack with magic, but was unable to dodge the flaming overhead kick that followed afterwards, sending him at Dori, who readied a pair of Crystal Pinnacles on her fists, infusing them with wind magic. She rushed at him, unleashing several punches, before slamming the two crystals together in front of her, unleashing a powerful blast of wind that struck Jellal like a bowling ball in the gut, launching him into the air.

" **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!** " Natsu roared, unleashing stream of flames from his arms, blasting Jellal and sending him in another direction in the air.

" **Crystal Rocket!** " Dori roared, unleashing the two Pinnacles surrounding her fists at Jellal, blasting him into a wall. Dori then slammed her palm down on the ground, shouting, " **Crystal Launcher!** " The enemy was ejected from wall thanks to the protruding crystal. Unable to control where he flew, Jellal was sent back to Natsu, who unleashed a Fire Dragon's Talon to his face, pounding him to the ground.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " Natsu bellowed, unleashing an intense amount of flames that impacted Jellal, causing the lacrima crystals nearby to shatter. Dori braced herself as the heat haze of the attack passed over her. Erza watched in shock as the flames consumed Jellal, realizing how serious the two were, but knowing this was hardly enough.

As Natsu landed, he looked within, and saw Jellal standing in the flames, not even phased. He discarded his robe, diminishing the flames while he was at it. He was even smiling as he looked at his two opponents. "Is that all?" he asked the two.

 _'He wasn't even phased at Natsu's and Dori's attack!'_ Erza realized in horror.

"I expected more from the two of you. Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel." Jellal stated, startling Natsu, "As well as you, Dori Himeka, the mage who bested José of Phantom Lord."

"Well, don't flatter yourself. I was only warming up." Dori retorted, pounding the ground beneath her with her foot, creating a magic circle. Suddenly, lacrima around the area started to glow, startling Natsu, Erza and Jellal. Dori closed her eyes, feeling the magic pulsing from the crystals all about her. She smirked as she questioned, "Tell me, how much of a benefit would this place be for a crystal mage such as myself? If you ask me, you just gave me the home-field advantage." She swirled with magic as she unleashed her Second Origin for the second time in this tower. "Now, then… Let's get serious!" Dori roared at him.

Natsu looked to her, then back at Jellal as he raised a fist and uttered, "If that is what you wish, then so be it. Though the Tower of Heaven may be lacrima, it will not help you in the slightest. I will make sure to punish the two of you for disrupting my ceremony. Witness the power of my Heavenly-Body Magic!"

As Natsu came at Jellal with a fiery fist, his right eye pupil was replaced by the red marking as he shouted, " **Meteor!** " He glowed gold as he suddenly flew upwards at an alarming rate, dodging Natsu's attack, and coming around with his fists forward, punching Natsu hard in the back. The Dragon Slayer was startled by Jellal's speed, but didn't have time as Jellal came at him again, over and over. Natsu tried swinging, but Jellal dodged, and hit him again, knocking him down. "Damn, he's fast…" Natsu grimaced.

Dori sensed Jellal's gaze as he came at insane speeds at her. " **Crystal Crown!** " Dori roared, unleashing a ring of crystals around her. Jellal easily avoided the attack before it hit him, and punched Dori hard. He came at Dori a couple times, hitting her over and over, until the crystal mage roared, unleashing her Crystal Stardust. It caught Jellal in it, straining him in the updraft. Enraged, Dori turned and unleashed a Crystal Barrage from her hand, hitting Jellal, causing him to back off.

"Impressive. I never met anyone who could hit me when I use Meteor." Jellal stated, "Truly, you are a gifted mage…but also an enemy of Lord Zeref!" He came incredibly fast at Dori, breaking through the Crystal Stardust, and hammering Dori hard in the gut, causing her to fly into her own Crystal Crown. Even Erza could barely recognized Jellal when he moved so fast.

"If Ashes was right, your ancestor enraged Lord Zeref, causing him to place the demon inside her. He wanted to curse your family for what that person did!" Jellal stated, flying too fast for Dori to notice, and hitting her every once and a while, "However, you were able to free Palva from that curse, leaving Zeref's vengeance unfulfilled."

Dori tried to react by creating crystal walls to stop his attacks, but Jellal moved too fast for Dori to completely encase herself, and ended up getting hit to the ground. "So, in order to appease him even further, I must destroy the blood of the people who caused him so much trouble." the blue-haired man finished, "I will destroy you and your sister, and show your corpses to Lord Zeref when I resurrect him!"

Dori and Natsu's eyes flashed, and they unleashed their breath attack and a fire blast from a pair of Crystal Pinnacles. Jellal barely avoided the attack, which surprised him. "You won't be killing me or my sister!" Dori barked.

"You just made the mistake of threatening the lives of people I consider family, you scumbag!" Natsu roared, "I'll make you regret ever saying that!"

The two tried to get at Jellal as he stood in between them, but he shot upwards, avoiding their attack. "He's moving too fast!" Dori growled, "He's using the same tricks as Fukuro."

"If we can't see him coming, then I'll just have to use all my other senses!" Natsu decided, closing his eyes as the two parted ways from one another, "Scent, sound, presence… If I just concentrate, I can predict his next move. I just have to focus!"

 _'Good thinking. His Dragon Slayer senses are incredibly strong.'_ Dori pondered, ' _He should be able to get him! As for me, I need to rely on other things, like the magic flow in the air…'_ She, too closed her eyes, fully focusing on the magical presence all around her, which was extremely amplified thanks to the magic emanating from the lacrima. She could sense every crystal in the area, the mist of magic that came off of them. The movement through the mist from Natsu and Jellal. She just had to wait to see a pattern in Jellal's movement. Wait for a moment when he let his guard down, so that she could strike.

Natsu was the first to sense him coming, and he immediately reacted by unleashing a flaming fist at Jellal. However, to his shock, the evil mage dodged his attack so effortlessly, and at a much faster rate than before.

" **Crystal Cataclysm!** " Dori roared, hammering her fists down onto the ground, creating a line of crystals that stuck out in all directions. Jellal effortlessly dodged the attack as he came at her.

"You should be fortunate you could land a hit on me before!" he called out, "But make no mistake, you won't have another chance like that aga-." He was stopped as a Crystal Wall appeared underneath him, knocking the wind out of him as he was jettisoned upwards.

"Natsu, hit him!" Dori shouted.

"On it!" the Dragon Slayer called back, leaping up at the defenseless Jellal, hammering him with his flaming fist, and sending him crashing into some lacrima crystals nearby. He landed on the ground next to Dori as she dismissed her Crystal Wall.

Watching from below, Erza was in shock that Dori could get the jump on Jellal like that. She expected Natsu to have the better instincts out of the two, what with his highly-improved senses for being a Dragon Slayer. However, Dori had her own way of sensing her opponent, and finding a way to counteract them. Could it be due to the fact that she was in an area that was to her benefit for being a crystal mage?

Dori and Natsu waited for signs of movement from Jellal as they looked at the mist that was formed from where he crashed. They both could tell this did not fully knock out the manipulative mage, and that he had more than enough energy left for them. Just then, they felt a presence behind them. Somehow, Jellal came around from behind using Meteor, and got the jump on the two of them. They turned in time to see him angered by their attack, before getting peppered by a storm of magic-infused punches. The attack was so fast, that they didn't realize how many hits they took, but they were reeling from it as they fell to the ground as Jellal shot to the sky. "Natsu! Dori!" Erza shouted, her hands pressed against the dome of crystal encasing her.

"This is the end." he told them, "I'll show you truly destructive magic." He formed his hands into a sign as he summoned seven shining magic circles, all of which formed up to become like Ursa Major. "Be judged by the Seven Stars!" he chanted, " _Blade of the Seven Stars!_ **Grand Chariot!** " Dori saw the seven magic circles connect to one another with magic, and reacted by placing her hands on the ground, creating a thick wall of crystal around her and Natsu. The magic circles shot down in shining blasts of energy, forming around the two and creating an explosion that was powerful enough to destroy a good chunk of the area they were on. Dori and Natsu fell limply to the floor of crystal below, having been damaged really badly from the attack. The damage of the attack even broke the tower of crystal Erza was on, causing her to fall with the duo, falling chest-first onto the floor below.

Jellal landed on the ground to see the damage he had done to the trio. He saw that Dori and Natsu's bodies were still intact, though still badly damaged from the series of attacks they were dealt with. Erza was still conscious, and was petrified at the sight of her two comrade's conditions. "Natsu! Dori!" she cried out to them.

"That magic has the impact of falling meteor." Jellal huffed, "I'm surprised both of your bodies are still in one piece." His tone shifted to concern as he looked about at the collateral damage he did to the tower and continued, "Maybe I overdid it a little. It won't do if the R-system is damaged any further. The magic is starting to seep out."

He looked to Erza, who was struggling to move, but found it difficult from being weakened by the binding magic she had to deal with before, "I should hurry. It's time, Erza." The scarlet swordswoman gritted her teeth, not wanting to go through that painful experience like she almost did before. She could barely move, however, as Jellal walked towards her. However, her eyes looked to her friends, and was startled. Both of them were moving.

Natsu was face first on the ground, but still grabbed a pebble of crystal, and tossed it at Jellal, drawing his attention. Dori was trying her hardest to get back up onto her feet again, while Natsu tossed a couple more pebbles at Jellal, missing him over and over again. Finally, one of them hit him on the chest, giving Natsu a reason to chuckle as he rose on his hands and knees.

"See that? That was my sneak attack…" he weakly snickered.

"Not…much of a sneak attack, Natsu…" Dori retorted, "But what he said gave me an idea."

"Same here…" Natsu agreed, his face up and "Now that this tower's a giant lacrima… I guess destroying it would screw up his plans, right?" Jellal's face became startled at what they were getting at, while Natsu raised a fist, barking, "This isn't your lucky day, pal!" He hammered the ground with his fist, creating large cracks that went all around him.

"What are you doing?!" Jellal demanded, then saw Dori spread her palms on the ground, and crystal stalagmites shot out, striking some of the pillars nearby, destroying them. "Stop that!" Jellal ordered harshly.

 _'They aren't aiming for Jellal anymore.'_ Erza realized as the two mages rose to their feet, _'They're attacking the tower itself!'_

"C'mon, don't you know that destroying stuff is what us Fairy Tail mages are best at?" Natsu asked him, raising a flaming fist, "Now I'm more fired up, more than I've ever been before!"

"As much as I hate to see such a great amount of lacrima get destroyed, it's better than letting you use it." Dori stated, raising a flattened hand with crystal dust spinning around it, "As my sister would say, my heart's burnin' brighter than it ever has been before!"

The plan of the two Fairy Tail mage drew intense rage from Jellal, as he glowed with his Heavenly Body magic roared, "YOU PUNKS! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS! THIS WILL BE THE END OF YOU!"

"Wanna bet?!" Dori roared, summoning a crystal wall, " **Lacrima Release: Gravity!** " The crystal suddenly went dark as it started to create a vortex in on itself. "Natsu, you'd better back off from this!" she ordered, "This is when I get really mischievous that I pull out this element!" Natsu did as he was told, and he and Dori backed away as the ground around it started to crack and shatter from the gravitational pull it was unleashing, bringing all the lacrima closer to itself.

"I've dreamed of this day, and I won't let fools like you get in my way! **Meteor!** " Jellal shot at the gravity well crystal wall, getting pulled in by it's power.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Dori warned him, pressing her palms to the ground and creating a magic circle. Jellal noticed and tried to get away, but was unable to due to the gravitational pull. The gravity-imbued Crystal Wall suddenly exploded with magic energy, plus all the crystal shrapnel it gathered, causing widespread damage that peppered Jellal strongly, and broke the ground beneath it. The trio of Fairy Tail mages were protected by wall of crystal, obviously produced by Dori. "I call that my Crystal Gravity Grenade." the crystal mage explained, "Tell me, does it hurt?"

Jellal skidded to a halt, gritting his teeth in rage as he created a magic circle, and unleashed magic shots at the duo behind the Crystal Wall. They both split to either side, avoiding the shots as they tried to fall on them. "Too slow!" Natsu called out, leaping over and over to avoid the attacks.

Dori used her Crystal Launcher to shoot herself at Jellal and saw her with a Crystal Pinnacle, infused with lightning magic. The evil mage reacted quickly, and unleashed a close-ranged blast of energy that countered Dori's oncoming punch. The two attack kept pushing against one another, until there was a great explosion, and Dori was sent flying backwards, the pinnacle on her arm broken off.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " Natsu shouted, coming out of nowhere in front of Jellal to unleash a punch to his face, sending him crashing into the wall of lacrima behind him. "Don't tell me you're still worried about wrecking your tower!" Natsu barked at him, "If that's the best you can do, then it ain't workin' on us!"

Jellal got back on his feet again as he growled, "I would watch my mouth if I were you!" He unleashed another beam of magic energy at Natsu, who crossed his arms to block it, and got sent flying.

Dori arrived in time far behind him to catch the Dragon Slayer by the wrist, circling him around her, and send him flying back at Jellal once more, shouting, "You should be telling yourself that, Jellal! **Crystal Deity: Logi! Crystal Barrage!** " She unleashed a series of flaming crystal bullets from her hands as Jellal shot more energy shots from his hands. Natsu flew right through as the explosions of the colliding magics were all around him. When he got close to Jellal, he unleashed a Fire Dragon's Talon to his gut, sending him into the sky.

At this point, Erza was recovering enough to get back onto her feet, and used the Crystal Wall Dori produced for her before to brace herself. She looked at the scene as Dori and Natsu were working as a team to overpower Jellal. _'This is…incredible!'_ she wondered to herself, watching Jellal use Meteor down at Natsu, only for Dori to dash in and push Natsu out of the way, causing the enemy to crash into the ground, _'I never thought Natsu could work so well with someone to take out a strong enemy. Usually, he would fight a person on his own because of how overpowering they were. But he is allowing Dori to join forces with him in order to fight Jellal.'_

She continued to watch as Jellal unleashed another beam of magic energy, to which Dori and Natsu unleashed Crystal Stardust and Fire Dragon's Roar together, which merged and cancelled the attack. Erza smiled as she muttered, "They are truly a force to be reckon with…"

Jellal avoided a series of Crystal Stalagmites from Dori with Meteor, and shot at her with pair of punches that sent her tumbling along the ground. She rose back up as Natsu leap-frogged over her, readying a large orb of flames as he shouted, " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!** " He shot the orb down at Jellal, who dodged out of the way, but witnessed the attack destroy a large chunk of the lacrima floor, literally disintegrating the shards that flew upwards. The shockwaves of the powerful attack even dislodged crystal from the ceiling above. Jellal was petrified. Erza was shocked. Natsu landed on the ground once more, grinning mischievously at Jellal. "That destructive attack was truly fun to watch, Natsu." Dori stated, brushing off her shoulder of any dust.

Jellal tightened his fists as he growled, "Now I'm angry! I didn't spend eight years building this tower just for a couple of punks like you two to tear it down! I won't let you!"

An exhausted Natsu chuckled as he reminded him, "It's a shame, isn't it? It's like I said before, destroying stuff is one of Fairy Tail's specialties." His legs were shaking slightly, as he was having a hard time staying on his feet after using so much magic. Dori noticed this, and decided to give him some time.

"Natsu, here." Dori called out, and Natsu turned to see a red orb come at him. He caught it, recognizing what it was. He ate a similar one back in the battle against Phantom Lord.

"Is this…?" he asked Dori as she passed him, stepping towards Jellal.

"Recover a bit. I'll give this guy a piece of my mind." she growled, readying herself as she created a magic circle beneath her, " **Crystal Deity: Nótt! Crystal Saber!** " Dori summoned a black-colored sword on a plinth, pulling it out of the ground and going into a fighter's stance.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall!" Jellal roared, launching bullets of magic at Dori. She started slashing them apart, causing the split pieces to go flying everywhere to damage the surroundings. Jellal realized what he was doing was a mistake, and charged at Dori with Meteor, striking her in the gut and shoving her upwards with him. Dori winced at the pressure and pain of the attack, but was able to slash her blade at Jellal, who avoided it by flying out of the way, leaving Dori exposed in the air.

"I would seem I understand Lord Zeref's rage against you and your ancestors!" Jellal growled, circling around and coming at Dori as she readied her crossbow, Solskinn, firing Crystal Shot: Spread from it. Jellal avoided the attacks with incredible speeds as he roared, "I will not allow you to interfere with the revival of Lord Zeref! You and Natsu Dragneel will die on this day!"

Dori slammed the last crystal thorn she had on her Solskinn into the weapon, going into blade mode, and forming a cross guard with both of her blades, enduring Jellal's next attack. "Sorry, but I can't see myself dying on this day." she retorted, "Nor do I see Natsu or Erza. You, on the other hand…" She swiped Jellal away with a push of her blades, slashing at him, but he dodged her as she fell. He pursued the falling Crystal mage as she roared, "…You can go six feet under, for all I care!" She slashed at Jellal as he came at her, but he dodged to one side, shoving a palm on her midriff, and blasting her with a close range blast of magic energy that sent her crashing into the ground hard, sending debris everywhere.

"Dori!" Natsu and Erza shouted together in horror. The mist of lacrima dust cleared to reveal Dori struggling to get up, still holding onto her Solskinn blade, while her dark-imbued Crystal Saber was aways from her. Jellal landed close to the blade, picking it up and holding it up with a smirk.

"I will have great joy slicing you down with your own magic." he said with a sinister grin on his face, "I'll shed the blood in your body for the sake of Lord Zeref!"

Dori panted as she held herself up on her feet, glaring at Jellal, her weapon held in both hands. She readied to attack, just as Jellal readied the blade. "I'll end you, right here, Dori Himeka!" he roared.

"I'd like to see you try!" Dori roared back, and the two leapt at one another, using Crystal Launcher or Meteor for an extra boost of speed. They crossed paths, slashing at one another as they did so. Dori skidded to a halt near Natsu, her eyes closed, and her teeth gritting. Natsu and Erza waited with baited breath as the two stood with their backs to one another. Suddenly, Jellal grimaced as she held his stomach, where Dori slashed at him, and he dropped the blade, causing it to shatter.

Natsu, on the other hand, looked to Dori, shocked and bewildered. Blood was dripping from her face. Erza was petrified at the sight of Dori as the crystal mage screamed in pain, placing a palm to her right eye as she dropped to the ground. She avoided a lethal cut from Jellal, but at the cost of her right eye.

"Dori!" Natsu cried out in horror as he dashed over to her side. Erza raced over to her, worried for the fate of her dear friend. She looked down to see the blood seeping from underneath Dori's hand, still grasping her right eye.

Jellal stood his ground as he turned to the trio, grasping his stomach. "How ironic. First Erza loses one eye in this tower, and now you, Dori, lose the same eye." he stated, causing glares from Natsu and Erza, "Even so, your attack didn't stop me in the slightest! I will end both you and Natsu, here and now! I'll make you pay!"

He created a magic circle in front of him with a cross of his hands. There was an intense shockwave that the trio endured to the best of their ability. "What's with this crazy magic?!" Natsu grimaced, "It's making me sick!"

Erza looked down at her shadow, and was shocked. "My shadow…is bending towards the light?!" she realized, "That means…this spell could kill us!"

"Now, I'll plunge you into infinite darkness!" Jellal roared, starting to form what looked like a black hole above him.

"Don't do it!" Erza shouted, rising to her feet and stepping in front of her comrades with her arms out, "Are you willing to kill me as well?!" Jellal and Natsu were startled that she was using herself as a human shield for her friends, and Jellal ceased his attack for the moment. "You need a living sacrifice to resurrect Zeref, don't you?" Erza questioned her old friend.

"That would be a problem. The ceremony requires the body of a mage who's magic strength equals to that of the ten Mage Saints." Jellal agreed, "However, with the way things have gone, I no longer care if it's your body or another. I'll worry about that, after I kill both of you!" He continued prepping his magic attack, startling Erza. It started to look more and more like a swirling black vortex with stars being absorbed into it's being.

"Move out of the way, Erza!" Natsu shouted in a panic.

Surprisingly, Erza smiled as she replied, "It's my fault you're in this mess. The least I can do is protect the two of you!"

"STOP IT!" Natsu pleaded, not wanting to see her die. However, just as he finished saying this, Dori had suddenly went from on her knees, to standing right next to Erza right, the wind of the attack covering the injury in her right eye. The sight of her comrade suddenly standing next to her was startling, and demanded, "What are you…?!"

"You are seriously the most self-sacrificial girl I have ever met." Dori spat, "It pisses me off that you continue to do this, over and over again. Let me remind you that you swore not to sacrifice yourself for ANYTHING, you got that?! You agreed to that before, didn't you?!"

"But that can't be helped right now!" Erza retorted, "I can't let you two die!"

"And Natsu and I won't let you die, either!" Dori retorted, "Natsu, on my command, unleash your strongest breath attack you got!"

Natsu's face became determined as he stood to Erza's left and declared, "Right. Let's do it!"

"What are you doing?!" Erza demanded, looking to her two exhausted friends, "Don't do this! You can't!"

"This is the end!" Jellal roared, " **Heavenly Body Magic: Altairis!** " He unleashed the black vortex of magic at the trio, while Dori shouted, "GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT!" Dori unleashed her Crystal Stardust while Natsu used all he could in a Fire Dragon's Roar. Both attack collided with Jellal's and were being blasted backwards by the sheer power it had.

"It's useless!" Jellal shouted as the duo realized their two attacks weren't doing a thing.

"No!" Erza shouted, about to take a step in front of her comrades, only to be held back by Dori as she shouted, "We gotta run!" It seemed like time froze as she tried to figure a way for the three of them to avoid the attack, but couldn't see anyway to get out of the way in time. Dori grimaced at how she couldn't stop what was to come. Erza was fearing Dori and Natsu's safety. The Dragon Slayer was calling out for the girls as the attack neared them.

Suddenly, something, or rather someone, used themselves as a human shield, blocking the attack from everyone else. It wasn't Dori, nor was it Erza, or even Natsu. It was someone that everyone forgot was still in the tower with them. It was Simon, producing a magic circle to block the attack with all he could. The other four were in shock at was he was doing. Simon grimaced as he mustered all he could into blocking the attack. There was a massive explosion, which could be seen outside, where the rest of the mages were.

"What happened?" Gray asked over everyone's gasps.

"The top of the tower exploded!" Happy exclaimed.

"But…they're still okay, right?" Lucy whimpered, hoping for her friends to be safe.

"I can't take this anymore!" Pastry exclaimed, shooting out of the water bubble with his wings.

"Where are you going?!" Leon demanded.

"What's it look like. I'm gonna go find our friends!" the ginger cat answered, "Happy, come with me!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy cried out, sprouting his wings, and shooting out of the bubble after Pastry.

As they flew, Millianna was exclaiming her worries for the cats, while Sho clenched a fist to his chest. "What's with you?" Palva asked him.

"I don't know…" Sho answered, "I got an unsettling feeling just now…" They all looked up at the top of the tower, gazing as the cats flew with all they had towards the top.

* * *

Back up there, Simon still stood there, even as the smoke cleared, his arms out wide, his teeth clenched, and his sash shredded from the attack. The trio of Fairy Tail mages were petrified at what he had done, especially Erza, who couldn't help but recall the memory of Grampa Rob standing in front of her, sacrificing himself to save her in almost the same manner as her dear friend was now.

"It's you…!" Natsu gasped, while Dori remained quiet and horrified.

"Why, Simon?" Erza muttered.

Simon barely could keep himself on his feet as he weakly answered, "To save you…" He fell backwards onto the ground. Erza panicked and rushed towards him, with Dori hot on her tail.

"I had no idea you were still crawling around the tower, you despicable pest." Jellal scoffed.

"You damn fool!" Dori barked at Simon, "Why would you do that?!"

"Why didn't you escape with the others?!" Erza demanded in worry, "Talk to me?!"

Simon was barely holding onto life as his good eye looked to Erza. Despite the condition he was in, he smiled, nevertheless. "Please…don't cry…" he muttered, "It's okay… I'm happy to…give…my life…for you…"

He coughed hard, while Erza stated, "Save your energy. Don't talk anymore. Try to stay with me!" She was tearing up, while Dori hastily looked at the damage the attack did to him. _'These wounds. I can't repair them, even with my healing lacrima!'_ She realized, realizing the hopelessness in saving him.

"You were…always…so kind…and gentle…" Simon stated, feeling the strain it was to even breath. Erza was looking down at him, feeling the tenderness of his words, the care for her. He cared for her more than just a dear friend. It was much, much more.

He was barely holding onto his consciousness as he looked to Erza, picturing her as the young girl he remembered her as. "Simon!" she pleaded, wanting him to live.

Simon's eye widened, and a tear fell from it as his last thoughts went through his mind. _'I always…loved you…Erza…'_ With that, his eye closed, and his entire body went limp, his head rolling away from Erza as the painful truth came to reality. He laid there, in Erza's arms, dead.

Natsu was petrified, witnessing the death of Erza's dear friend. Dori looked horrifically at Simon's peaceful face, then at Erza, who was sobbing as the pain in her heart was overbearing. She gave out a wail as she mourned for Simon's sacrifice as she pressed her face into Simon's chest, sobbing hard into it. However, there was one, cold-hearted soul on that tower who didn't feel sorry for what had happened.

Jellal, sick and twisted as his mind was, had the nerve to cackle at what had just transpired. "What a perfectly foolish thing to do!" he stated in amusement, "That's what's known as 'throwing away your life', Simon! His sacrifice changes nothing! I won't let any of you leave this tower alive!"

Suddenly, Natsu appeared out of nowhere, slamming a fist hard in Jellal's face, shouting, "SHUT UP!" In his rage, Jellal was sent flying, crashing into the lacrima far away from them, causing him to gasp in pain.

Dori snapped, her rage getting the better of her. She turned and slammed her fists into the ground, creating craters. She growled as she started doing something that was unthinkable; she began to absorb the lacrima from the tower itself, bringing it into her.

At the same time, Natsu reached down, grabbing a chunk of lacrima, and started eating it. Jellal and Erza were both shocked at what the two were doing. _'I can't believe it…'_ Jellal realized, _'They are eating and absorbing the magic from the Etherion Blast!'_

"You crossed the line, Jellal…" Dori growled, the glow of magic on the ground spreading wider and wider, "It was bad enough to use Erza as a sacrifice, but to laugh at the death of someone close to her was way. Too. Far." She glared up at Jellal fiercely as she roared, "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID, JELLAL! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"

At these words, Natsu roared in rage as his eyes glowed blue from the lacrima he ate, and veins formed around his face. He unleashed a shockwave of magic that formed cracks along the ground. More magic seeped into him and Dori as they both roared in rage, absorbing every bit of that magic. Natsu hammered his fist on the ground, sending a line of magic breaking through the ground at Jellal, who dodged it. However, some of the magic spewed out with his saliva, and he doubled on the ground, internally in pain.

"How could you be so reckless?!" Erza demanded in horror, "The Etherion is made up of all kinds of elements, not just flames! It'll poison you!"

"He won't die!" Dori answered, and Erza looked to see that she had suddenly made the entire floor they were standing on glow, including the walls and the ceiling. In fact, from the outside, half of the tower was glowing from what she was doing.

"What's going on?!" Happy asked as they flew up the tower.

"Hell if I know!" Pastry answered, "But…I get the feeling Dori is involved somehow!"

Dori concentrated as crystals the same color as the tower started forming on her body, from on her ankles, to her thighs, her waist, chest, upper arms, and her face. She then tightened his fists, causing blood to seep out of them, as she roared in rage. Suddenly, her hair fanned out from the magic energy she was unleashing, and it suddenly glowed a light blue hue. At the same time, Natsu was starting to regain himself, and his eyes burned orange as he transformed the magic he ate into fire, intensely increasing the flames all around his body, which formed into a dragon behind him. Scale patterns formed around his eyes and on his arms

"No way!" Jellal gasped, witnessing the two as they rose together, glaring fiercely at him.

" _Let the judgement of the Allfather king of Gods be my might!_ " Dori chanted, revealing her face, with crystal covering her injured right eye, " **Grand Crystal Deity Form: Odin!** "

 _'They actually did it!'_ Jellal realized in shock, _'They actually absorbed the magic of the Ethernano!'_

Natsu shot forward in a flaming burst, kneeing Jellal in the head. Dori suddenly vanished from view, reappearing behind Jellal, and unleashing a powerful pulse of magic from her foot as she kicked Jellal high into the air. Natsu and Dori turned and blasted Jellal with a fusion of their flame and mixed-element blasts from their hands, sending him crashing into the ceiling, then falling limply downwards.

"YOU MADE ERZA CRY!" Natsu roared, leaping off a pillar of lacrima, getting to Jellal, and shoving him down into the ground, crashing down to the next level, as well as several other levels, "I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"YOU LAUGHED AT SIMON'S DEATH!" Dori appeared out of nowhere at one level, hammering her magically-infused fists onto Jellal's chest, causing him to drop down even faster than Natsu was doing, causing him excruciating pain, "WE PROMISED HIM WE WOULD KEEP ERZA SAFE, AND WE WON'T LET A MONSTER LIKE YOU HURT HER ANYMORE!"

"Your threats don't scare me!" Jellal shouted, " **Meteor!** " He shot past the two as he soared back up to the top level once more, with the two enhanced mages in hot pursuit. "You will never catch up to me at that speed!" Jellal called down to them.

"Thanks to the lacrima I absorbed, I have incredible access to ALL elements of magic!" Dori roared, and she unleashed the power of Light magic, going light-speed and easily catching up to Jellal from behind. He was startled as she axe-kicked him back downwards with a blast of magic, sending him back to Natsu, who turned into a flaming comet as he shot upwards, impacting Jellal's stomach with a fist, knocking all the wind out of him. The trio shot upwards back to where Erza was, who witnessed Dori above Jellal, and Natsu below him.

"I WON'T LOSE!" Jellal roared, kicking Natsu away, only for Dori to blast him in the back, sending him breaking through one of the highest crystal in the tower.

"You're gonna have to!" Dori retorted, using Wind magic to levitate in the air, "We won't let you win, no matter what!"

"I'm destined to create a land of freedom!" Jellal roared, unleashing blasts of magic at Dori as he leapt higher into the air, only for Dori to counter every attack with a pulse of magic from her palm, "Zeref whispered to me, within my pain and my fear! He told me that he could help me make my dreams come true, and I believe him! There's a reason I'm the only one who can hear his existence! I am the chosen one! Once he's resurrected, we can recreate a land that is truly free!"

Dori soared through the smoke made by the collision of magic, grasping Jellal's throat as she hissed, "And you plan to do that by taking the freedom from everyone else?! Even those you use to consider friends?!"

Jellal unleashed a point-blank blast of magic at her, forcing her to let go as he answered, "If that's what it takes to change this world into a better place, then so be it! I couldn't care less to feeble-minded fools like you!" He unleashed blasts of magic at her and down where Natsu was at, who leapt from crystal to crystal to avoid the attack.

"You're the one who's feeble-minded, taking the orders of someone possessing your thoughts like that!" Dori shouted, darting around the magic shots and unleashing a stream of magic from her palm at Jellal, blasting him and causing him to fly even higher.

"Why would I listen to someone who's ancestor is the enemy of Lord Zeref?!" Jellal demanded, swiping his hand in all directions in front of him, forming a large, familiar magic circle. One that was almost used by the giant of Phantom Lord.

"An Abyss Break spell?!" Erza gasped, "But why?! You'll destroy the tower you worked so hard to build!"

"THIS tower means nothing!" Jellal spat, "Now that I've done it, I can recreate one in half the time! It's the end for all of you!"

"Not so fast!" Dori shouted, "You haven't won yet!" She roared as the tower beneath her glowed again, and magic seeped upwards, causing some of the lacrima to disintegrate.

 _'She's drawing so much magic power!'_ Erza realized, _'What does she think she's planning?!'_

Dori gathered all the magic energy into her palms in front of her, which she formed a shining white and multicolored magic circle, which pulsed with as much magic power as the Abyss Break. Jellal was shocked at the power she was preparing to unleash.

"This is my most powerful attack: Crystal Ragnarok!" Dori warned him, "You fire the Abyss Break, and I'll fire my attack! Let's see who's stronger!"

"You fool! If you unleash that attack, neither one of us will survive!" Jellal warned her, "You and I will perish! Is that what you truly want?!"

Dori glared at him through the magic circles both of them made, while Erza and Natsu were fearfully watching the two, wondering what will happen next. However, Dori smirked as she answered, "No, but I'm pretty sure you won't be able to use your magic, either."

Wondering what she meant by that, Jellal suddenly felt a pang of pain from his gut. The combined damage of Erza's slash on him before Etherion was fired, plus the slash Dori delivered during their fight, was catching up to them, and he fell backwards, his magic circle disintegrating.

Just then, Natsu shot past Dori, using his flames at his feet to shoot up at Jellal as he roared, "You'll never know what it means to be free! Not as long as you're possessed by that spirit!" His body ignited in flames as it took the form of a flying dragon.

"If we have to beat some sense into you in order to free you from being manipulated, then that's what we'll do!" Dori shouted, shrinking the magic circle in front of her as she removed excessive magic. She shot after Natsu as she used the magic circle to create a long shaft of shining crystal, transforming it into a large spear. " _Let the legendary weapon of Odin strike true and sway the heart!_ **Great Crystal Gungnir!** " Her body surged with magic, as it spread outwards, forming the sight of a man with a powerful spear in his hand.

Jellal watched in horror as the dragon and deity came at him, with Dori and Natsu roaring, "You can do it, Jellal! Free yourself!" They unleashed their punch and spear on him. The spear's tip was blunt, so as to not stab through. Jellal screamed out in agony as he was sent downwards, carried by the spear and impact of Natsu's fist. The attack was so powerful, rows of explosion were happening all the way down the Tower of Heaven, sending Pastry and Happy spiraling out of control away from the tower, and startling those in the water bubble far away from the tower.

"What is going on?!" Sho questioned in shock.

"Was that another explosion?!" Wally asked.

Palva could feel it as she answered, "No…That has to be sis and Natsu! Only they could create that much destructiveness."

"You're right. They must be fighting someone!" Lucy assumed.

"But are they gonna be alright?" Millianna asked, mentally adding the cats into her question.

"I sure hope so, but it's too hard to tell." Gray answered, "From what it looks like, they're both going on a major rampage."

Dori soared back down with Natsu at hand, landing lightly on the ground next to the hole where Jellal fell through. He was practically at the ground floor, unconscious, defeated by the two mages high above him. As Natsu let go of Dori, the latter looked down to see a coin on the ground next to the hole. It was the medallion that signified Jellal's position as a Mage Saint. "I gotta wonder…is Makarov the only good Saint there is?" she wondered out loud, "Between Jellal and José, I question the Council's choices of strong mages to represent them."

Erza looked on at them, amazed at their incredible strength together, which easily surpassed Jellal's power. _'So this is the power that they had hidden within them.'_ Erza pondered, _'The true form of the Dragon Slayer and of the Crystal Deity mage. They were able to defeat Jellal so effortlessly, once they had awakened their powers.'_ Dori and Natsu looked to Erza, smiling confidently at her. She smiled back in joy as she continued, _'I can't believe that after all these eight years, the nightmare is over. Now Sho and the others can finally be free.'_

Just then, the crystal on Dori's body broke off, with the acception of the one on her right eye, and her hair stopped glowing and reverted to its' normal red hue as she and Natsu started to collapse. "Natsu! Dori!" Erza cried out, racing towards them, and grabbing them on each shoulder, their faces close to her ample chest. The scales on Natsu's eyes and arms faded away. Dori was the only one who was slightly conscious after her ordeal, as she moaned, "You're…free, Erza."

Erza smiled graciously as she answered, "Yes… Thank you so much, Dori, Natsu. You two are amazing." Dori slowly formed a smile on her face as she accepted Erza's words.

For a moment, it seemed like things were gonna be alright for all of them. However, like so many times before for all of them, the moment of joy was short-lived. The ground started to shake underneath them and shine, startling Erza. Dori was able to feel it, and her face became startled as she realized, "Oh, no…I think all the damage we've done is causing the Ethernano in the tower to go out of control. It's gonna explode!"

Erza pulled Dori and Natsu up, carrying one on each shoulder, as she looked about the area as magic energy blasted all over the place, unable to stay inside the lacrima. "We have to get out of here, now!" she declared. She then looked towards where Simon's body laid, seeing it slide down an incline, going down below. Erza wanted to rescue him, but there didn't seem to be a point since he was dead. Regretting what she was doing, she turned and did her best to carry the two with her out of the tower.

"Natsu! Erza! Dori!" shouted a familiar voice that startled Erza. She looked up to see Happy flying towards them, panicking as the magic blasted all around him.

"What are you doing here, Happy?!" Erza demanded, shocked to see him even here.

"Pastry and I wanted to see if you guys were okay!" Happy answered, looking towards where Simon supposedly fell, and Erza turned to see, in surprise, Pastry carrying him up towards them.

"Damn, this guy is heavy!" he grimaced, looking down at him, "Plus…it looks like he's gone, isn't he?" Erza looked down, the truth of his words hurting her heart.

"Well, we can't have him buried in this area. Let's find a proper burial sight for him!" Pastry declared. Erza was startled at Pastry's request, but she was graciously accepting the suggestion. Yes. Simon deserved a better place to be laid to rest than this.

"I got Natsu!" Happy stated, grabbing Natsu and holding him up, leaving Erza with Dori under one arm.

"Let's move!" the scarlet-haired swordswoman declared, and she led the cats as they followed her down the tower.

The crystal was crumbling everywhere as they raced down the tower, trying to escape in time. However, with the floor caving in on them, the crystal falling from the sky above them, and the magic bursting out of the lacrima without warning, this was making it difficult for the group to make it out alive. One blast of magic energy sent Happy falling tumbling down with Natsu as they rolled down the hill. Erza nearly got blasted as well, as was Pastry, and they collapsed to the ground, with a dazed Happy and Natsu right by them.

Dori moaned as Erza looked up, seeing a magic lacrima melt into a sort of gelatin in front of them. _'The magical power is warping the lacrima that contains it.'_ she pondered in worry, _'I can't imagine how much destructive power it has. Even if we could get out, the explosion would surely overtake us.'_

"What are we gonna do?!" Happy cried out in horror.

"You're asking me like I should know?!" Pastry demanded, turning to Erza, "Do you have any suggestions?!" Erza pounded the ground, struggling to try and find a way for all of them to survive this. She looked to the deceased Simon, then to the unconscious Natsu, and finally, to Dori, who was struggling to wake up again. No, she couldn't die here. There had to be a way to save everyone, after everything they did for her.

An explosion went up nearby, and Erza and the cats endured the shockwaves. Pastry saw more congealed lacrima ooze towards Happy, and pulled him out of the way. "Geez, I don't know what'll be worse; Being blasted by one of those explosions, or oozed over by one of those blobs of lacrima!" the ginger cat stated.

These words gave Erza an epiphany. She recalled the words Jellal said as he was about to sacrifice her before. _"I will now proceed to fuse your body with this lacrima, and all of the two billion, seven hundred million ideas of magic energy it has absorbed. Your body will be broken down and reconstructed as Zeref's new body."_

"That's it!" she gasped, drawing the attention of the cats as she looked to the lacrima, "If I can fuse my body with the magic energy inside the lacrima, I might be able to control it and prevent it from exploding!"

"Fuse your body with the lacrima?!" Pastry questioned in shock.

"But if that happens, what'll happen to you?!" Happy asked, not liking the sound of Erza's suggestion.

Erza looked down at her hands, seeing her open palms. "If that happens, my body will most likely disintegrate into it." she answered, "But if I do it, I can save everyone here!"

"But you can't!" "There's got to be a better way!" Happy and Pastry were startled to hear her willing to sacrifice herself, and were hands-down against the idea.

"There's no other way. It's a risk I'll have to take." she told the two, walking over to one of the morphed lacrima. The two cats were unable to talk her out of it, nor force her away from the lacrima. They could only watch as she raised a palm, ready to place herself into the lacrima. She was barely centimeters away from the surface of it when something happened. Her hand stopped, which surprised her. Try as she might, she couldn't move it closer at all.

"What's…What's going on?" she questioned herself, "I…can't seem to do it! There's nothing stopping me from entering the lacrima, so why?!"

Just then, she heard Dori moaning from behind, and she turned, along with the cats, to see her rise up onto her hands and knees. "It seems like…my promise…finally reached your heart." she grimaced.

"Dori!" Pastry gasped as she rose to her feet shakily, looking up at Erza, who was startled to see how much strength she suddenly gained back in her.

"I was able to hear your plan, Erza. However, the reason you can't execute it…is because your heart is preventing you from doing so."

"My heart?" Erza echoed, touching the place the said organ was.

"After me constantly telling you not to sacrifice yourself, and after understanding the feelings of losing someone precious to you after they sacrificed themselves, you don't have it in you anymore to make such needless sacrifices." Dori explained, "You finally wised up, Erza."

"But this isn't a needless sacrifice!" Erza retorted, and Natsu was starting to regain some consciousness here, "Look around us! The magic energy from the Etherion is too much for the tower to contain! It'll explode at any second, and all of us will go with it! If I don't enter the lacrima…!"

"You're not going in there." Dori interrupted her, "However, that doesn't mean I can't." Erza's eyes went wide at where she was getting at. "I'm a Crystal mage, and have the strength of a Mage Saint, just like Jellal said. Plus, I was able to absorb the lacrima of this tower before in me. I can go in there, and redirect the magic energy upwards, where no one will be harmed."

"No, you can't!" Erza gasped, as Natsu rose up, muttering, "What's going on?"

"I'm gonna do just that, Erza." Dori told her as she placed a palm on the lacrima much easier than Erza, "And don't you dare stop me."

"Dori, stop!" Erza begged, but too late. Dori pushed her arm into the lacrima. Already, she can feel the magic pressure around the arm, and she winced in pain.

"What are you doing, Dori?" Natsu asked as he rose up.

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed, diving into his arms, "Dori's gonna save us from the explosion!"

"What? Explosion?" Natsu questioned, which was then soon answered by an eruption of magic energy from behind him.

"Yeah, and if someone doesn't control it, the tower will go 'boom', and us with it!" Pastry added, "That's why Dori's goin' in there!"

You gotta stop it!" Erza cried, racing over to Dori and trying to pry out her arm, "I won't let you sacrifice yourself!"

Dori managed to push Erza away and shout, "Pastry, restrain her in the air!" In a heartbeat, Pastry grabbed Erza on the back of her cloth wrapping her chest, and hoisted her upwards, causing her to flail.

"Let me go! I won't let Dori die!" Erza ordered, "I can't let you do this, after all you guys have done for me! This is the only way I can return the favor! Please, Dori! Let me do this! I won't let you sacrifice yourself for me anymore!"

"Stop thinking I'm gonna die!" Dori barked harshly at her, submitting her with her words, "Why the hell must you choose the worse-case scenario like this, Erza?! I told you; I am a Crystal mage, so I have the best chance of controlling this mess and coming out alive, alright?! If you want to help, then freakin' believe in me!"

"Believe…?" Erza echoed, as Natsu got to his feet, with Happy and him watching as she shoved more of her arm into the lacrima, all the way to the shoulder.

"Dori, you know there's still a high chance you won't be able to survive this!" Pastry warned her, "I mean, I know you're stronger than most, and lacrima is one of your specialty, but still…"

"Pastry!" Dori called to him, "Do you not believe I can do this?"

Pastry paused for a moment, looking at Dori, who's face was slightly contorted from the pressure of the magic on her arm, but still determined. And after all that she had pulled in the past, not to mention her will to live. There was never a person in his life he knew who detested self-sacrifices more than Dori. Knowing that, and wanting Dori to live through this, he answered, "I…I believe in you!"

"Pastry? But why?!" Erza demanded, looking at the ginger cat holding her back, while Dori twisted backwards, shoving her other arm, and going back-first into the lacrima.

"Wait, Dori!" Natsu shouted, stumbling towards her as her lower half started to sink into the lacrima, "What about your sister?! If you die, then…"

"Listen to me, Natsu." Dori interrupted him, addressing him, Erza and Happy, "I have lived my life with one sole purpose; to protect my sister from harm, until she was free from her cursed flames. Thanks to you guys, she was free from that, and I was free from the constant worry for my sister. It was all thanks to Fairy Tail, the people who welcomed us, even knowing who we were to the world. I was able to gain a second chance in life, to do something for myself, instead of for my sister. I still don't know what that is, but being the older sister-type, I have to do one thing; protect the people I consider family. The guild who accepted us."

"Dori…" Erza muttered, tears falling from her left eye.

"But even so, I will never sacrifice my life, nor do I want anyone else doing that for me. It's selfish, pointless, and it'll only cause people to mourn for you when you are gone. Ever since…that day, I promised never to sacrifice myself for the sake of others. So I will live through this. However, I still need the extra support, just like what I had from Palva, Leon and Pastry. Only now, it's much bigger than that. I need you guys to believe I will survive this. I need everyone's support. Do that, and I promise you, I will survive, no matter what. So…will you do that?"

Only Dori's head and chest were exposed as Erza was placed on the ground again. She was still frightened at losing such a kind-hearted soul and someone who risked her life for the sake of her own. She was so much stronger, and dealt with things most others wouldn't stand a chance in. Try as Erza might, she just couldn't say out loud what Dori was asking for. However, there was one guy who did.

Clenching his fist, Natsu barked, "You'd better not die, okay, Dori?! I'd hate to see your sister cry! So come back, you hear?!"

"Yeah! You tell her, Natsu!" Happy exclaimed, punching a paw in the air as tears flowed from his eyes, "There's nothing a Fairy Tail mage can't do!"

Dori smiled and nodded at them, assuring their words will be true. She looked to Erza, who was so worried, it was hard for any sensible person to look at her. Straining herself a bit, Dori pulled an arm out, reaching out for Erza. She quickly took it, but didn't pull out Dori. Instead, the two looked at each other, one smiling, and one crying. "Us, red-heads, got to stick together, right?" she asked, "Don't you agree?"

Erza looked down, her heart waning on the pain within. Those words were like the ones she said the night she got kidnapped by her friends. However, she wanted Dori to stay alive, more than anything. She was an important person to the Fairy Tail guild…no, to her. She looked at Dori's hand, her teeth gritting as she struggled to say the words she wanted. When she looked back up at Dori, and the latter was surprised. Erza's right eye was now shedding tears, just like her left one.

"You can't die, okay?! Please, live!" she begged, "Please…come back…to our guild… to all of us…!"

Dori was slightly surprised at the new tears forming from her artificial eye, then she smiled, as she answered, "I will guarantee it…" With these last words, she was totally consumed inside the lacrima. She fell backwards, sinking further and further into it, all the while Happy and Pastry placed their palms to the lacrima, crying out their pleas for Dori to live. Erza knelt to the ground, tears pouring down her face onto the ground, sick with worry. Natsu looked to the person he hated to see cry, to the one who was putting it all on the line to save everyone. "DORI!" he roared at the top of his voice, calling out to her.

* * *

Down below, in the water bubble, Palva could feel a pang go through her, and she suddenly felt worried.

"What's up?" Lucy asked her, seeing the scared look on her face.

"I…don't know…" she answered slowly, "But, I…feel as if I need to believe in my sister right now. She's doing something freakin' crazy again.

"Is she trying to stop the lacrima from exploding?!" Gray questioned her.

"I know Dori Himeka is a strong person, what with her defeating José, but still…" Juvia couldn't finish that sentence.

"Let's just make sure we believe she'll come out of it, okay?!" Leon ordered the other, "Focus all your hope to our comrades up there. They'll save us, somehow!" Everyone, including Erza's old friends, looked to the top of the tower, praying for the safety of Dori and everyone in the tower.

* * *

Down inside the lacrima, Dori could feel the pressure of the magic, and she was grimacing from the it. _'Damn it! There's so much magic energy in here!'_ she noticed, _'I can barely breath in here. The Ethernano is trying to pull my body apart… No, I can't let this pain overcome me. Time to save my friends and family!'_

She spread her arms out, producing magic circles from them, as well as beneath her feet. She closed her eyes and concentrated. _'Alright. I need to take in and expel the magic energy simultaneously.'_ she instructed herself, _'If I do too little, the tower will explode before I can finish. If I do too much, my body will disintegrate. I have to take in and unleash just the right amount of power, and do it to my max level. Let's do it!'_

Her body shined as she exclaimed in pain from taking in and expelling the magic. From the outside, those on or outside the tower watched at the magic energy of the Etherion blasted upwards, avoiding any damage to anybody. However, the shockwaves of the redirecting blast sends those inside the water bubble flying away. Those inside the tower braced themselves as the tower started to deteriorate on them. The lacrima was going in and out of Dori at a rapid pace.

Dori could feel her body waning as she continued to channel the lacrima through her. She was trying so hard to send the energy flying upwards at a rapid pace, but she could also tell she was pushing herself beyond her limits. The lacrima's magic was trying to make her a part of it. In fact, her body seemed to crack in some places, like she had started to become lacrima itself. _'Come on…!'_ she told herself, _'You promised not to sacrifice yourself, Dori, so you can't die now! I will live! I will live! I…will…!'_ She opened her eyes, which were now glowing light blue, as she looked high above her, her thoughts fading on her, going back to a time that she could never forget…

* * *

 _"I was about eleven years old when it happened. During my travels to find a way to save my sister while running from the Alvarez Empire, we always came across guilds that tried to kidnap my sister or kill her. This one group we met was leaning towards the latter…"_

On the outskirts of a village, an eleven-year old Dori and an eight-year old Palva were standing close to one another, surrounded by a swarm of mages, as the leader of the guild, a femme fitale woman with short, blonde hair that were formed in damp spikes, a top that exposed most of her skin and cleavage, a gorget on her neck, silk, baggy pants, leather boots, and a bulky gauntlet on her right arm that went all the way up to her shoulder. Her guild's emblem was right above her belly button.

"You children certainly are a hard group to catch." the woman scoffed, "I can't believe the Alvarez Empire is having such a hard time getting you. Unfortunately for you, you just happened to walk into the town that is home to one of Alakitasia's strongest guilds." The other guild members chuckled at her words, while the youngest Himeka sibling fearfully stuck close to her older sister, who gritted her teeth.

"Now, as much as it would be fun to kill the two of you, I am able to give you a silver thread of hope, girl." the blonde continued, addressing Dori, "If you want to keep the skin on you intact, then leave your little sister here with us. Surely, you must be tired of constantly protecting her all this time?"

"As if!" Dori barked back, "I'm not gonna let you take my little sister away from me! I would rather die than do that!"

"If that's what you want…" the blonde stated, while the other mages readied weapons and/or magic circles to unleash on the two.

Dori looked about the group, and saw an opening for them, one that was slowly closing off on them. There was no way for both of the sisters to escape this group easily. They could tell they were stronger than most other mages they have been dealing with. She couldn't think of any other plan other than one to protect her little sister.

" **Crystal Wall!** " Dori shouted, and she unleashed a pair of walls underneath the nearest mages, causing them to fly into the air. "Palva, I'm gonna get you out of here!" Dori told her little sis, "I'll give them a reason to fight me, while you escape!"

The plan startled the young Dragon Slayer as she retorted, "No! I can't let you fight them alone! I'll stay and fight alongside you!"

"These mages are too powerful." Dori pointed out, watching the ones she knock over rise back up, "Even if we work together, we wouldn't be able to beat all of them. I won't let them take you, no matter what, Palva."

"Sis…" Palva muttered, worried for what she was planning on doing.

"I can draw their attention, and make sure they don't get to you, but you have to stay alive, okay?! If you don't, then I'll never be able to live with myself. How can I, if I failed to be the protective older sister for you?"

"But I want you to live, too!" Palva pleaded, unleashing her Fire Dragon's Brilliant Talon at a leaping group of mages, "Say what you want, I won't leave you to die!"

"I know that…" Dori retorted, smiling at her. Palva was not liking the look she was giving her. Dori slammed her palms to the ground, unleashing her Crystal Crown on any nearby mages to them. She then concentrated as she created a Crystal Launcher underneath Palva's feet, angling it for distance. Palva didn't even see it coming as she was sent flying from the area. She panicked as she was flipped upside down, watching Dori getting farther and farther away, and crying out to her as she disappeared over the horizon.

"That little brat escaped!" the blonde gasped, growling as she glared at Dori, who turned to her with a determined glare, "I was hoping to bring her to the Alvarez Empire so I can meet my role model, Dimaria. But thanks to you, I'm gonna have to spend even more time tracking the Fire Demon down!"

"Good luck on that. My sister knows your scents, so she can just avoid you whenever she can!" Dori retorted, readying herself to fight, "Not that I'll allow you to go and chase after her now!"

A vein came across the blonde's head as she sneered, "You really want to die today, don't you? Guys, show her no mercy!" All the mages charged at Dori, who readied a magic circle underneath her, ready to fight to the death.

 _(Dori speaking) "At the time, I knew I was facing a losing battle. However, that didn't matter to me. I was allowing my sister to escape, and so long as that happened, nothing else mattered to me. I was willing to die for her, believing it was the duty of an older sister to protect her with my life. Needless to say, I fought with all my might, but it was useless. The size of the guild was too much, and the leader was too powerful…"_

Dori fell to the floor, bruised and injured all over. She had definitely taken out a good portion of the guild before she was taken down, but it was the leader, which she learned was named Spirim, that overwhelmed her, especially with her magic gauntlet, which shattered any crystal she produced against her.

As she laid there, Spirim stamped onto her back, causing Dori to cough profusely. "Did you really think you'd stand a chance against us?" she asked her, "Or did you think you were buying some time for the Fire Demon to escape our grasp?" Dori gritted her teeth, glaring up at the blonde leader, only for her back to be pressed more into the ground by her boot. "You are still a child, so there's no way for you to think things through properly." Spirim sassed, "Sure, you let her escape, but we can still go find her. Plus, the whole continent still has their sights set on her. You'd think just because you'd stop one guild, you save her? You are a dense little girl, and that's all you'll be remembered by!"

The rest of the guild laughed at Dori, while she laid there, angered by the useless state she placed herself in. As hard as it was, she was right. She couldn't stand the fact that her attempt to save her sister was not gonna work out as well as she had hoped. Still, she prayed for her sister to live on, no matter who tried to take her.

"Now then…" Spirim raised her gauntlet, spreading her sharp fingertips out, "Let's see here, should I torture you a little bit more? Or maybe I should just go straight for the neck and be done with you." She grinned maliciously as she brought down her gauntlet, going for Dori's throat. She braced herself, waiting for the inevitable to come.

Suddenly, a certain lance shot at Spirim's gauntlet, diverting its' course and making it miss her mark. The guild leader was startled, while the mages looked towards where the lance came from. Dori slowly opened her eyes, and saw the weapon that saved her, laying right next to her. She was shocked to see that it was none other than the Dragonic Fang.

"Keep your rotten claws…" she heard Palva's growling voice, along with an intense heat from behind, "…off of my sister!" Dori heard the sound of the mages screams as they were blasted away by a stream of flames. Palva was going out of control to protect her sister.

Spirim growled as she kicked Dori to the side, sending her tumbling onto her back where she laid unconscious. "Don't just stand there, you idiots! Stop her!" she ordered her guild, and they charged at the raging Palva, who glared up at all of them, before unleashing a blast of flames that could be seen from above the trees.

Moment's later, or what felt like a short time later, Dori slowly started to open her eyes again. The first thing she noticed was that she was indoors. She was on a bed, with the blanket covering her body. She ached all over, reminding her of the beating she had taken from the guild she faced alone before.

Not two seconds had passed by before she heard her sister's voice cry out, "Sis!" she heard a pair of feet race across the floor, followed by the feeling of a hand placed over her stomach, and the sight of Palva's worried face looking down at her's. "You're awake!" she sobbed, tears pouring from her eyes, "I-I was afraid that you would never wake up!"

Slowly, Dori found the voice to start speaking as she asked, "Where…am I?"

"In one of the villager's houses." Palva explained, trying to wipe away the falling tears, "They found us and patched you up." Dori looked down at herself. Sure enough, she was able to see the bandages that covered her wounds from the fight. She looked at Palva, seeing a couple bandages on her, possibly from scorch marks on her own body. As she sat up, she got a better look of the room she was in, and saw it was a rather small one, with a window facing out into the streets of the town. Most likely, this was a guest room in someone's house.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and the sisters turned to see a brunette woman with a simple orange dress and beige apron walk into the room, holding a tray of food. "I head you were awake. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Very lucky and relieved that someone was able to help me and my sister." Dori answered, "Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it." the woman answered, placing the tray down on a nightstand next to them, "That guild was pretty cruel to our village, taxing us unfairly and messing with our lives needlessly. You did us a big favor by stopping them. Although…" she handed a glass of water to Palva as she grimaced, "It was a bit far for you to kill them all."

Dori's eyes widened, then looked down as Palva looked guilty. Of course that was bound to happen. When Palva goes on a rampage like that, there was bound to be lives taken. It was harsh, but with her flames out of control like that, she couldn't help herself.

"I appreciate all that you did, but we can't have you staying here for long." the woman told Dori, "The military will be coming to investigate the elimination of the guild. We can't keep you guys here."

"I understand." Dori understood, "If they saw you assisted a wanted criminal like this, you would be locked up or worse. We won't allow you to be guilty just because you saved us. We'll leave before the military arrives."

"Thank you, and I'm sorry for not doing anything more for you than this." the woman apologized, and with that, she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Dori looked at the door, feeling guilty for the woman. This was their life, not her's, to bear. To the Alvarez Empire, and to the guilds all across the continent, they were the enemy that needed to be put down. There were only a rare few souls like this woman who would reach out and help them like this, but only in a small way. Other than that, the sisters were on their own, alone.

Just then, Palva started to cry again, drawing Dori's attention. "It's gonna be okay, Palva." Dori assured her, "We can still keep going."

Palva shook her head, and she sobbed, "That's not…that's not why. I was afraid of losing you back there. If you…if you died…"

"All I was doing was trying to save you." Dori defended herself, "I was doing what any elder sibling would do."

"But you're the only person I have left!" Palva exclaimed, looking at Dori with a tear-strained face, "If you died, I would be all alone! I would have no one else to turn to! Nobody family to be with! You're the only family I have left, and the only person who wants to be around me! Being alone is worse than death, and I would rather die than to be that way!"

Dori was shocked beyond belief, but her heart ached the more Palva spoke. She was so concerned on being a protective sister for Palva, that she didn't even care to understand Palva's point of view. And after everything she said, she was right. Palva would've been alone, all because she made the selfish act of sacrificing herself, believing she was doing something right by protecting her.

Palva planted her face on Dori's chest as she bawled, "Please don't leave me alone ever again, sis! I beg of you! I don't want you to die! I want you to live! I want you to save me from these cursed flames, and stay by my side for the rest of my life! Promise me you won't ever try to do that again!"

Dori's eyes filled with tears, the guilt she was feeling overwhelming her. She raised a hand and placed it on Palva's head, sobbing, "I promise. I won't kill myself like that for you. I am so sorry for being so selfish, Palva. Please forgive me!" Her own cries were mixed in with her sister's as the two hugged and sobbed in each other's arms, not wanting to lose one another.

 _(Dori speaking) "I realized, on that day, that sacrifices like that were not helpful to anyone. They only caused pain and grief to the people who knew you and missed you when you were gone. Seeing my sister's face like that was too much, so I swore never to see her like that again. I won't allow myself to make any self-sacrifices, nor would I allow anyone else I know and cared about to make such sacrifices. Cause even if I died, I could feel the pain of my friends and family, no matter where my spirit drifts off to. I won't allow them to feel that pain. I will live, no matter what!"_

* * *

It was dark in the sky. The people who were inside Juvia's water bubble were walking along the empty shores near the Akane Resort. They were investigating the area they had landed on when Leon shouted, "Look, over there!" Everyone turned, and beamed in joy. From a good distance away, they could see, glowing in the moonlight, a certain trio of mages and two cats, walking towards them. Natsu and Erza were holding Dori under each of her arms, while Pastry was flying behind, with happy on Natsu's shoulder.

Everyone rushed over to where they were, with Lucy and Palva in the lead, calling out to them. Palva, who was in the lead, looked worried as she noticed Dori was not making any signs of movement in the arms of the other mages. However, as she called out for her sister, she could see Dori's good eye slowly open up, looking back at her sister. The sight of her sister being alright was enough to put a smile back on Palva's face, along with the tear falling from her face.

"You okay, Dori?" Pastry asked, seeing the crystal mage awaken.

"Yeah…" Dori answered hazily, looking at Erza and Natsu, "You guys…were pretty reckless for pulling me out of that magical vortex when you did."

"Look who's talkin'." Natsu replied with a sly grin, "Still, you managed to save all of us back there, and come back alive, just like you promised." Dori managed a smile as she felt relieved that she could keep her promise like this. She managed to divert the magic of the Tower of Heaven away from harm, saving everyone, and stay alive afterwards.

"Dori…" Erza drew Dori's attention, and she noticed how guilty the swordswoman looked at this point. "Back there, when you were inside the lacrima, it was muffled, but I was able to hear your story. The one that explained why you hated sacrifices…"

Dori was puzzled as to how she could hear her thoughts like that. She looked down, wondering. Could her merging with the lacrima somehow amplified her thoughts so they could be heard outside? She had no idea. Even if she knew a lot of things about magic, there were certainly mysteries that she just did not have the answer to.

"I finally realize…that the many times I tried to sacrifice myself for my friends, was foolish." Erza stated, "I always thought that saving my friends by giving my life away would help them create a better future, but that is absolutely wrong. After what you did, after the pain of almost losing you like that, I realize that dying would only make them grieve than anything. So, let me reassure you something…"

Erza turned to Dori, and she could see the tears coming from both of her eyes, "…I promise never to throw my life away like that again, just as long as you don't try to do the same, okay?"

Dori paused for a moment, before nodding in response. "Absolutely. A two-fold promise for you and my sister. Besides, I can't imagine a life or a future without all of my friends and family in Fairy Tail." She beamed at Erza, who smiled sweetly back. Natsu gave a toothy grin, while Happy giggle in joy. Pastry huffed a smirk, agreeing whole-heartedly.

Before everyone raced over to hug Erza, or Millianna's case, the cats, or shout their joys of relief, Palva made a leap to Dori, causing her to fall off her friends carrying her and into the water. She was hugging her older sister tightly as she sobbed, "Dang it, sis! You had me worried!"

"Sorry about that." Dori apologized, patting her little sister's head, "But you don't have to worry. Thanks to Fairy Tail, we are able to live another day together!"

Palva looked up at her sister, nodding in agreement. Natsu had his head turned away, wiping tears that were falling from his face. Pastry gave a fist bump to Leon, grinning at one another for their victory today. Happy was trying to break free from Millianna as the cat girl had an arm around Erza, with Lucy's arm intertwining with her's. Everyone happily cheered at their reunion as the nightmare of the Tower of Heaven was finally left behind in the past. They could now look forward to the future they had together.

* * *

 **At last, I finally did it! The epic final battle in the Tower of Heaven has been made! I must say, I did go pretty darn far with this. Almost 18k words were in this chapter. But I was extremely determined to get an intense battle that featured Dori & Natsu vs. Jellal, and make it something pleasing to read. I hope everyone enjoyed the ideas I placed into the battle. For people's opinions on Dori losing her eye, it is not to mimic Erza and her losing her same eye in the tower. I simply wanted Dori to develop a similar condition as Odin when he lost his eye, according to Norse Mythology. Though it was not in the same manner as Odin, Dori did soon gain a new power after losing her eye. Speaking of which, I hope you enjoyed the new power Dori gained, and not tried to compare it to any 'Super Saiyan God mode' thing, if you know what I'm talking about. Her hair only glowed that color because she absorbed the power of the Tower of Heaven, and that's all!**

 **Finally, I wanted to have Dori and Erza gain a special connection by having the former go into the lacrima to save everyone. Let me just douse everyone's beliefs that this will lead to a shipping between the two scarlet-haired girls, cause it's not! It's more of a sisterly bond between the two girls, what with them having similar traits, from their hair, to their magical strengths, to their protective natures, and now even their eyes. Personally, I will continue the canon shipping for Erza, although personally, I am more connected to shipping Erza with InsaneDominator's OC, Nic Pularis, in his work 'The Fairy Contender' and 'A Contender's Bonds'. What he made for those two to be together was very nice and joyous to read.**

 **The flashback I made for Dori was something I wanted to display, just to show everyone why she hates the idea of self-sacrifices. Plus, notice how I made a little plug to the far future by saying one of the names of the Spriggan XII? You can see that in the far future, my OCs will definitely take this fight personally.**

 **So the next chapter will be MUCH shorter than this one. Not even sure if it will even reach 10k. However, the next chapter will lead into a little special 1-2 episode long arc, featuring a group of characters you will never expect! All I can tell you is that during 2017, they made quite a name for themselves.**

 **As always, leave a like, tell your friends, post a review, and await for the actual final chapter of the Tower of Heaven arc.**


	19. Moving Forward! To the Future Adventure!

**Previously on Fairy Tail:**

 _(Happy speaking)_ It turns out that the Etherion blast didn't kill all our friends in the Tower of Heaven, but instead transformed it into a giant tower of lacrima! Not only that, but as the Magic Council building was being destroyed, Jellal revealed that he was also Seigrain! He almost sacrificed Erza by merging her with the tower, but Natsu and Dori arrived to save her and fight against Jellal.

It was tough, and it kept going back and forth, but it looked like Natsu and Dori were gonna lose after Dori lost one of her eyes. But just as Jellal unleashed a powerful attack that could've killed them and Erza, Simon sacrificed himself to save all three of them, which drove Natsu and Dori over the edge, and they used the magic of the Tower of Heaven to unleash a whole new level of power, defeating Jellal once and for all!

However, things went from bad to worse when the magic inside the giant tower of lacrima became unstable, and was gonna detonate, killing all of us. Pastry and I arrived in time to try and help the trio, but it was useless. Erza attempted to merge herself with the lacrima in order to control the unstable magic, but was unable to due to Dori's message of no sacrificing herself getting through to her. Instead, Dori chose to dive into the lacrima, having a better chance than the rest of us to come out of it alive, and she did it! She redirected the magic, saved everyone, and survived to tell about it! Now we can finally relax after all that craziness!

* * *

Inside the hotel room at the Akane Resort, Natsu was sawing logs, snoring like a growling bear. He was covered in bandages, still recuperating from his and Dori's battle with Jellal. Palva and Happy were watching him right next to his bed, with the female Dragon Slayer poking his cheek every once and a while. Leon was grooming Pastry as he, Lucy, Erza and Gray were at the table, watching the loud-mouth snorer. Erza probably looked as bad, if not worse, than Natsu, with all the bandages on her body.

"You think he's gonna be okay?" Pastry asked.

"I can't believe he's been sleeping for the last three days." Lucy pointed out the timeskip.

"Jeez…even Dori hasn't slept that long." Palva noted, playfully raising up his limp arm and dropping it, "Though she spent those two days sleeping or bed-ridden."

"Natsu! Lucy's wearing a maid outfit, and she's singing and dancing for everyone!" Happy exclaimed abruptly.

"I'd be really pissed off if that managed to wake him…" Lucy muttered.

"Look, he's smiling." Palva pointed out, seeing Natsu suddenly grin in his sleep.

"He heard that?!" the celestial mage exclaimed.

"Let him rest a little bit longer." Erza told the group, "Not that it could have been helped under the circumstances, but that must've been his equivalent of eating poison."

"You mean eating the Ethernano, right?" Gray asked, "This guy gets more and more like a monster every day…"

Suddenly, and without warning, Natsu woke and sat up growling, "Say that again, and I'll smack ya!"

"You woke up!" Happy started, but Natsu fell back to sleep, causing Palva to exclaim, "He's down again?!"

"That punk woke up just to pick a fight with me?!" Gray barked angrily, popping a blood vessel.

"Dear god…" Leon muttered irritably, while Lucy and Pastry laughed at the comical situation.

Erza smiled, mentally hoping for Natsu not to do something as reckless as that again. She looked down with slight guilt as she said, "I caused you all so much trouble during this journey."

"Stop apologizing." Leon retorted, putting down the grooming brush and folding his arms.

"He's right. We keep telling you it's not your fault." Lucy added.

"Yeah, we've been through much, much worse." Palva pointed out, "That was actually kinda light, in all consideration."

"Besides…" Leon followed up, summoning a magic circle, and producing his rewards from his fight against Ikaruga, "…I got this amazing new blade, the Mugetsu-Ryu, and even gained another piece of the Herculean God Armor. If you ask me, that whole ordeal in the Tower of Heaven is more rewarding than anything."

"I'm glad you got some good out of it…" Palva sighed, "I ended up possessed by a wild rocker guy, and saved by Lucy and Juvia. But Juvia was now closer friends with us than before."

"As long as she doesn't think of me as some bizarre love rival…" Lucy added in a disgruntled tone.

"Speaking of which, where is that Element 4 girl?" Erza asked Gray.

"You mean Juvia? She left earlier." he answered casually, "She wanted to talk to gramps about joining the guild." Erza seemed slightly surprised at this, but understood it, nevertheless.

"Would be nice to have her part of the guild." Palva stated, "I wouldn't mind her joining."

Erza stood up as she said, "I'm gonna go head out. Dori was on the beach with Sho and the others, right?"

"That's what I think she said." Lucy recalled, remembering what Dori was saying about practicing her magic.

"Honestly, I am still surprised by Dori." Erza stated, looking out the window, "Her body should've been broken down at the structural level within that magical vortex."

"Never underestimate my elder sister." Palva declared, keeping Happy away from shoving fish into Natsu's mouth, "She's absorbed a lot of lacrima in the past, but this much at once was really something. I'm glad she's still alive."

"Me, too…" Lucy agreed, looking down with a smile on her face. In all things considered, it was a miracle that Dori did make it out of there alive.

* * *

Outside on the beach, Sho, Wally and Millianna were watching as Dori stood there. She was just as badly covered in bandages as Erza, though it was nothing compared to the new black eyepatch she was wearing now. Apart from that, she wore a casual white and blue-trimmed top, a blue skirt with flower patterns on it, and black sandals.

The Crystal mage concentrated, then shouted, " **Crystal Cataclysm!** " She slammed her fist along the ground, creating a row of crystals. However, unlike her usual clear white crystals she produced, they were now a slightly foggier, light blue color.

"Nya~! They're different to what you were using on me before." Millianna recalled their previous battle against one another.

"They do look pretty…" Sho pointed out.

"Kinda reminds me of the lacrima at the Tower of Heaven." Wally pointed out, "Gotta say, it looks pretty darn dandy."

Dori touched the crystals she produced, wondering out loud, "I can't say if this is the reason, but maybe after channeling all that Ethernano lacrima through me, it somehow transformed my magic. The crystals seem a bit harder, and feel like they can unleash stronger attacks, especially when I infuse my lacrima magic with it."

"So you got an upgrade thanks to the tower?" Sho asked, surprised.

"Maybe…" Dori answered, looking at her hand, "Though my magic is still pretty drained, and I seem to be regenerating my magic energy slower than usual. I really strained my body and magic limitations during that ordeal. It might take a while for me to be fully restored."

"If you ask me, you should deserve a break." Erza was just coming down the stairs onto the beach with them.

"Erza/Sis!" the trio of old friends greeted Erza.

"How're you feeling?" Dori asked her.

"This is nothing." Erza answered, "How's your eye?"

The crystal mage placed a palm gently on her eyepatch as she answered, "Well, according to the doctor, the damage done to it was pretty severe. It might need to be replaced. Fortunately, you told me that Porlyusica was able to give you a new eye. Hopefully she'll do the same for me."

Erza looked ashamed as Dori described her injury. She paused for a moment, then said, "I'm…sorry. If you didn't get involved, you wouldn't have lost that eye."

"Hey, if I didn't get involved, you'd be dead." Dori retorted, "Which reminds me, I still need to punish you for breaking our promise, don't I?" Erza looked up at her, realizing she was right. She did try to sacrifice herself for her friends a few times back at the tower. However, she was ready for whatever punishment that was gonna come her way. She felt she deserved it.

"Wait, hold your horses, dame!" Wally called out, "We're the ones who were at fault here!"

"Yeah! We're the ones who took her in the first place!" Millianna pointed out, "If anyone is to blame, it's us!"

"You can punish us, instead of her." Sho pleaded.

"Guys…" Erza muttered, not feeling like they deserved whatever was coming for her.

"Oh, no. I'll let Erza be the judge of you three." Dori retorted, "Besides, I nearly kicked you guys to the curb before, so I'm pretty sure my vengeance on you for taking Erza was satisfied. This punishment is between me and her. Now, then…"

Dori raised her palms at Erza, who closed her eyes, ready to take whatever was coming. What she didn't see was Dori flexing her fingers out, smirking mischievously as she stated, "I think Natsu was trying to do this to you when you were unable to move before. Now's a better time to do it." Erza looked up, startled as Dori made a leaping dive onto her, and started tickling her all over the place. The laughter of the scarlet swordswoman was palpable as she endured the tickle-fest brought upon her. Sho, Wally and Millianna were bewildered as they watched Dori going from her neck to the soles of her feet, torturing her with this 'punishment'.

After about a minute of this agony, Dori backed off, while Erza was trying to catch her breath from all the laughter. "And now, we're even." the crystal mage stated.

"What…what kind of punishment was that?" Erza panted, having a hard time losing the smile she had from all the tickling.

"A punishment that was added on from making you sick with worry when I dove into that lacrima before." Dori answered, "I think those two things put together is punishment enough for you, don't you think?"

Erza looked surprised at this. She didn't think Dori would add on that moment into the punishment that she had in store for her. From her point of view, she was trying to be fair, after all that Erza had endured at the tower.

"Besides…" Dori added, her tone shifting to a sad one, looking towards a hilly area far from the Akane Resort. Everyone looked towards the same direction, specifically looking towards the one part where a pair of trees grew. Dori didn't have to finish the sentence, as they all knew what she was gonna say. The ultimate loss from the tower was now buried up on that hill.

The morning after everyone returned, they took Simon's body, which Pastry pulled out of the tower, to that hill and buried it. Leon used his skills as a blacksmith to create a monument, engraved with the words:

"He lived as he died, protecting what was true to him.

May he be at peace, knowing all he protected was saved."

Simon, the True Guardian.

Everyone mourned for his loss, especially those who knew him the best. Dori gathered a bunch of flowers and placed them on a crystal vase of her own making. She never said it, but the others knew that she was still dissatisfied with his death. She was grateful for protecting them when he did, but it was also a lesson to everyone that the feelings they had at the moment were the consequences of self-sacrifices.

"It's not like we meant to hurt you or anything…" Wally muttered to Erza.

"We're really sorry for everything." Millianna apologized.

"So am I." Erza replied, holding her left arm. "I left you in that tower, unable to do anything for you these past eight years. Please, forgive me."

"It wasn't your fault, sis!" Sho retorted, while the others feel ashamed that she was the one apologizing to them.

"From what Palva said about the story you told them, he would've killed all of them if you had gone back." Dori recalled, "There was no way you could've returned with that threat over your head."

"I can't just fall back on excuses like that at this point." Erza retorted, "If I had gone back again, then Simon would still be here with us."

"I gotta tell ya, Simon was a good man." Wally stated, "He wanted to protect you, Erza! Because he always lo-."

"Wally!" Millianna stopped him in mid-sentence. However, Erza already knew what he was gonna say.

"It's okay. I know of his feelings towards me." Erza told them, "And now I understand how you all must've felt when I left you behind. Which is why we should all continue striving forward. Into the future that Simon has given us." Sho, Wally and Millianna all smiled in agreement. They needed to keep moving forward, to step out of the tower they had been trapped in for eight years.

"You could join Fairy Tail. Give guild life a try." Erza suggested, surprising her old friends.

"You sure that's okay?!" Millianna gasped.

"Sure. It's like Natsu said before, Fairy Tail isn't the same freedom you guys were looking for before, but it is a kind of freedom that saved my sister and I." Dori reminded them, echoing the words she and Natsu left with Wally and Millianna before.

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sold on the idea." Wally told Millianna gleefully.

"There'd be a new adventure, everyday!" the cat-girl cheered.

"Besides, I would love to be able to stay with you three for all time." Erza added to them. Sho was touched by those words, and looked down a bit, smiling, and thinking. That was something he would love to have, as well.

"Let's head back to the hotel." Erza told them, bringing her friends along with her, "I haven't officially introduced you to all my friends."

"If you don't squeeze him too hard, I'll let you hold onto Pastry for a while, too." Dori added to Millianna, getting a gleeful look from her.

As they walked back, Erza stopped, turning around in shock as she swore she heard a familiar voice call out, "You have grown strong, Erza."

While her old friends have reached the gate out of the beach, Dori stopped and turned to her, seeing her shocked expression. "Something wrong, Erza?" she asked.

"I-It's nothing." Erza answered, shaking her head of what she heard, "Must've been my imagination…"

Dori looked at her for a moment, somehow piecing together what she must've meant by this. Then something else came to mind as she started, "You know, back when I was in that lacrima, I could've sworn I felt someone else in there, helping me." Erza looked slightly surprised at these words. Someone else was in that Ethernano vortex with her?

"It's probably my imagination, too." Dori added, "But even so, that was a lot of magic energy, even for me to control…" she looked off into the horizon alongside Erza as she finished, "I would like to think…maybe Natsu and my attacks finally knocked some sense into him, and that allowed him the mindset to fuse himself with the Ethernano, alongside me, so as to save us all."

Erza looked at all the facts and compared them to Dori's hypothesis. "I would like to think that is the truth." she told her, "How else did your body not break down in that vortex. Even for a Crystal mage, that wouldn't have stopped you from disintegrating in there, like that."

"Like I said, it's only a theory." Dori repeated, turning away, "Either way, looks like he won't be tormented by Zeref's spirit anymore. Let's be thankful for that."

"Yeah…" Erza agreed, looking down. Even if he deceived the whole world and her for his own purposes, she couldn't feel angry at Jellal anymore. He was only a victim of Zeref's manipulation.

"Come on. Let's go back and join with the others." Dori told her, and the two walked back, joining up with Sho and the others at the door to the resort.

* * *

That evening, Erza and her friends, old and new, joined together at a large banquet of food, laughing and eating to their hearts content. Natsu was awake once more, and started shoving three-days worth of food down his throat as fast as he could. Gray and Palva were eagerly shoving down food into Sho's mouth, almost choking him to death. Millianna was hugging Pastry, who grabbed himself a blueberry tart eagerly, and started munching it down, while Happy was eating a fish right next to them. Erza, Dori and Lucy were laughing and watching, along with Wally, as Natsu performed a bit of a fire show for them. It was ironic that not too long ago, in this very resort, did they treat one another as enemies. Now, all animosity between each other was lifted, and the joy they had with one another was high as the sky.

That night, Lucy was writing in her diary about what had happened at the Tower of Heaven, all the way up to when she spoke in private to Dori and Erza about what they thought happened that saved Dori. Her spirit, Plue, was sitting right next to her, watching her write.

Just then, the door opened abruptly, revealing Erza. "Lucy! Have you seen Sho and the others?" she demanded.

"No, I don't think so…" Lucy answered haphazardly.

"They were supposed to be staying in the same hotel as us, but I can't find them anywhere." Erza explained.

"Even after we told them we would check out together tomorrow?" Lucy questioned in confusion, then she stood up as she gasped, "You don't think they could have decided to leave without telling us?"

Erza pondered on it for a couple seconds before answering, "I'm sure that's what they're doing."

"But why?!" Lucy demanded, "There's no reason for you to be apart anymore!"

Erza thought on what to do in this situation, and made a quick decision. "Tell Natsu and the others to get the 'fireworks' ready, and meet me on the beach!"

"Wait, fireworks?!" Lucy echoed in confusion as Erza raced out the door, "H-Hey, wait!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Sho, Wally and Millianna had just had a horrible experience. They were at festival plaza recently, looking about. Wally had some drinks, while Millianna had a chocolate-covered banana. However, due to their inexperience with the outside world, they didn't know anything about 'cash' or 'paying for food'. As a result, they ended up fleeing the scene without buying what they ate and drank. They raced to the opposite shores of the Akane Resort, building a small boat for themselves to use to cross the waters.

"Are ya sure we'll be able to make it into the outside world?" Wally asked, "We've never been on our own before." Millianna sighed a meow in agreement. Truly, they were completely lost as to how to mingle in the outside world like any normal person.

"We have to!" Sho answered, "We can't go causing any more trouble for Erza. She's already got her own." He untied the boat from the post nearby, and declared, "Now, let's get out of here before sis and the others realized we've gone."

"Hell yeah! We'll make it somehow!" Wally declared, shoving the boat out alongside Sho.

"Let's go for it!" Millianna cheered.

"There you are!" a familiar voice from behind them ceased their escape, and they turned to see Erza standing there, glaring at the three of them.

"She found us!" Sho exclaimed in a guilty tone, looking away as she stepped towards them. The other two looked down, ashamed at being caught by her.

"Please don't try to stop us from leaving." Sho asked, "We've made up our minds. Our whole lives, we lived inside that tower. There are so many things we don't know, so much that we are unsure of. But we want the chance to see the world with our own eyes. We don't want to rely on other or live for someone else's sake anymore." He tightened his fists and turned to Erza with a determined smile as he declared, "We want to live our life to the fullest and realize our own dreams! That's the freedom we are looking for!" The two next to him smiled in agreement to what he said.

After listening to his entire speech stone-faced, Erza broke into a smile. "Well I have complete faith in you. With determinate wills like that, there's nothing you can't overcome. I'm not worried…" She then glowed as she Requipped before them, transforming into a kind of ceremonial armor, wielding a double ended spear with the Fairy Tail flag on it. "…However, there are three oaths you must take before leaving Fairy Tail, so you'd better listen up." she ordered them.

"Wait, what do you mean, leave?! We never even joined it!" Wally pointed out.

"#1: You must never reveal any sensitive information about Fairy Tail to outsiders, so long as you live!" Erza started, ignoring Wally's statement, "#2: You must never use the clients you met through the guild to achieve personal gain! #3: Although our paths must stray, promise to forever live your lives to the fullest! That means you must treat every day like it was your last day in this world!" Her tears started to fall as she finished, "Never forget your Fairy Tail friends! Treasure them as long as you shall live!" Her words touched the hearts of her three friends so much, that they couldn't help but break into tears, the pain of departing weighing on their hearts.

Erza raised the flag high as she shouted, "Let the Fairy Tail send-off begin!" All of a sudden, all of her comrades of Fairy Tail appeared out of nowhere, ready to start.

"Let's go, Palva! Just like I showed ya!" Natsu told her, and the two puffed their cheeks, firing out small bursts of flames into the sky, which exploded into fiery explosions, making fireworks. The sight of these dazzled Erza's old friends, and even caught the attention of the locals at the Akane Resort.

"May they blossom in our souls, these flowers of light!" Erza stated, looking tearfully into the sky.

"Don't forget the ice as well!" Gray declared, unleashing a blast of ice magic into the sky, which formed into an icicle array similar to that of fireworks.

"You ready?!" Leon called out to Pastry and Happy, lining up firework launchers of his own creation.

"Aye!" the cats shouted together, and they unleashed the blasts of magic energy from each canister, creating beautiful explosion of white and blue in the sky.

"I'll throw in a celestial spirit version!" Lucy called out, raising a key high, using her own magic energy to creating a firework burst as dazzling as the stars.

"And last, but not least…" Dori stated, slamming her palms into the ground, creating a ring of crystal stalagmites, and firing them up into the sky, making them crash into one another and creating beautiful, shining dust crystals that glowed like the other fireworks.

As Sho shoved off from the shore on their boat, Erza admitted, "In all honesty, I would've loved to stay with you all forever. However, I know I would only hold you back. I don't want that. I just want you to move forward, and wish you well on your journey."

"That's not it at all, sis!" Millianna sobbed.

"If we stuck around, we'd only bring all those horrible memories back to you!" Wally added, also sobbing.

"But I have so much more than painful memories with you." Erza retorted, "Besides, what we went through made us stronger, and brought us closer. I will always hold onto those memories, both the good and the bad. Walk tall, and I, too, will keep walking tall, ever onwards. This isn't goodbye. I know we will meet again!"

All of the Fairy Tail members parted ways with their new friends, bearing grins on their faces. Dori and Lucy were waving goodbye, with Happy jumping up and down, waving his arms eagerly.

"We'll miss you, sister!" Sho cried out.

"Hope to see you again, Erzy-Werzy!" Millianna added.

"Yeah! We'll meet each other again! I can guarantee you of that!" Wally finished after blowing his nose into his scarf.

"It's a promise…" Erza answered silently, the tears still falling from her face, as the Fairy Tail mages gave off one last series of fireworks before the boat vanished from view. From that point on, all of them would push forward, living life to the fullest as they could.

* * *

Somewhere else, in an unknown location, there was a large landscape of rock and magma, with volcanos erupting here and there. Two balls of lights were shining down from the smoke-filled sky, one of them a bright white, and the other a watery-blue color. They flew towards a cave underneath a dormant volcano, where a pair of yellow eyes could be seen.

"What business do you have here, Grandeeney, Aquos?" a deep, powerful male voice asked the two lights.

"It has been a while." Grandeeney greeted back, her voice sweet and feminine.

"Still as sulky as you've ever been, Igneel." Aquos stated amusingly, her voice gruff, but freely and feminine.

"For the two of you to be here…I have forbidden all interference." Igneel growled, "Leave this place immediately, the both of you."

"We just happened to sense you nearby." Grandeeney stated, "That child… He truly does take everything to excessive levels."

"Indeed. Reminds me of someone else we know, hm?" Aquos asked, causing the yellow eyes of the dragon to narrow, "You know, he just got lucky this time around. But if he keeps this up, he will end up dead."

Igneel started to get angry as he growled, "Leave. Now."

"I daresay, those two children will meet with Wendy and Coraline someday…" Grandeeney pointed out, "Perhaps a more friendly relationship could be established this time."

"LEAVE THIS PLACE!" Igneel roared, blasting flames that destroyed his cave, "DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE HUMANS! DO YOU MEAN TO ANGER THE ONE AND ONLY IGNEEL?!"

"Geez, grumpy much?" Aquos asked, "Course, it was always 'her' that was able to calm you down."

"He is right, of course." Grandeeney sighed, "Worry as we might, there is nothing we can do. All that is left for us is to believe in the human's own power. But speaking of 'her', does she not keep in contact with you?"

Igneel gritted his teeth as he looked down. "She has fallen asleep, and will not awake for some time. She is not like the rest of us. Her protection over her child is different than from us."

"Nevertheless, she is the Flame Dragon Empress." Grandeeney addressed, "You dubbed her that, did you not? You even entrust the tooth she knocked out of you to her child." True enough, Igneel looked at the right side of his jaw, where one of his teeth was missing.

"Your child and her's will undoubtably change the fate of us dragons, as well as what is to come." Aquos stated as the two lights floated away, "And as for Zeref…well, that's something we can talk about on another day. Maybe at the Dragon King's Festival. Take care of yourself, Igneel."

"Until our fates cross again…" Grandeeney finished as they soared into the sky, disappearing from view.

* * *

Within an area near the town of Era, where the Magic Council Building was destroyed, there was a decorative mansion, home to one of the members of the Magic Council, Ultear. She was currently in her home, taking a bubble bath after the ordeal. She had a small table next to her, with a spiked lacrima orb on top of it. It was obviously a communication lacrima, as she was just explaining what had just recently happened to an unknown source.

"…And so, the Council will have to take responsibility for their actions." she was finishing, "I doubt they will be able to function normally for a while. Why, they may even be abolished entirely."

"Excellent, Ultear." said a gruff, old male voice, "And…what became of Jellal?"

"Who knows. Perhaps he actually died." Ultear sighed, stepping out of the bath and grabbing a towel, "Without ever realizing he was in fact being used by the very woman thought he was using to his own ends… Truly, a pitiful man. Well, it was enjoyable. He was rather…cute."

As she dried her hair, she continued, "But to think that for all those eight years, he never realized that I was simply playing the part of the 'Ghost of Zeref'. Even considering the brainwashing, everything went beyond perfectly. The conflict engulfing the entire Council, the firing of Etherion, all of it just as planned."

"Indeed… For whilst Jellal was going on his rampage, you're able to move as you wished." the man replied, "As a result, one of the keys to the seal is finally mine…"

"I suppose congratulations are in order." Ultear stated, fully wrapping her towel over her main body. She then chuckled as she continued, with a sinister glare in her eyes, "So very sorry, 'Master Jellal'. There was never any chance of your reviving Zeref from the very beginning. No, there is no chance of anybody bringing Zeref back from the dead. After all, Zeref was never dead in the first place. He merely lies sleeping for the moment…"

* * *

It was morning, and Leon was carrying out Erza's massive luggage next to all of the others. "Is everyone ready?" he asked, looking to the group with him, which composed of an arguing Natsu and Gray, Palva, Pastry, Happy, and Lucy.

"Almost. We're just waiting for Dori and Erza." Lucy answered, looking toward the hills, "They were gonna say one last goodbye before we headed to the train."

"The train…I forgot about that…" Palva muttered, her cheeks bulging at the thought of riding it again.

"I'm sure you'll be fine if you and I do the 'usual' technique." Pastry assured her.

"Usual technique?" Lucy echoed, confused.

"You mean you have a way to prevent motion sickness?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, but it is rather humiliating to do…" Palva muttered, placing a palm over her face, "Still, I'd rather do that than be puking my brains out."

"Do you think Natsu can do it, too?" Happy asked, "He'd probably be overjoyed not to get sick every time we get on a vehicle."

"Well, it does require the assistance of a flying cat, so I'm sure you and Natsu can pull it off." Pastry stated, "Here's how it's done…"

He began whispering into Happy's ear, explaining the trick to him. After he finished, Happy looked startled, and questioned, "That could work, but it also would make Natsu look really stupid."

"Better than the alternative, I reckon." Pastry retorted.

I don't know…" Leon muttered, looking as Natsu and Gray's squabble turned into a tumbling fist fight in front of them, "It might quiet things down if he was out of it."

"That is true…" Palva agreed, as they all looked at the two's fight with sweat-dropped expressions.

* * *

Up at the hill, Erza was standing at Simon's grave, which was in between the two trees. Flowers had sprung on them and fell off, littering the ground around the young man's grave. Dori arrived only recently, and stood next to her.

"You about ready to leave?" Dori asked her.

"Yes…" Erza answered quietly, looking sadly at the grave, "I hope to come back and see him again."

"I'm sure you will." Dori assured her.

There was a moment's pause between the two red-heads. Then Erza asked, "Tell me something; are you still angry at Simon for his sacrifice?"

"Not anymore." she answered, "It's not like getting angry at him would bring him back. I just…I don't like it when people die, when there are people like you and your friends who will miss him so dearly. I know you guys said he had feelings for you, and that was probably the driving point to protecting you like that."

"Yeah…" Erza muttered, looking ashamed, "I wish…I was able to spend more time with him, and to accept his feelings. Although…I guess it was foolish for me to say, but I…" She found it difficult to finish the sentence she was starting. Dori thought on it for a moment, but kinda guessed where she was going. She had eyes for someone else other than Simon, and it sure wasn't Sho or Wally.

"You weren't foolish." she assured her, "Love is a complicated thing. I don't know anything about it, though, so don't ask me." Erza looked to Dori, and the two shared a smile together.

"Let's get going." Erza told her, and they left to join with the others, leaving behind the monument.

The wind blew, causing the fallen flowers to to scatter and fly into the sky. Behind one of the trees, a familiar ghostly figure watched the two leave. He smiled as he watched them go, before fading from existence, at peace with the fact that Erza was safe, and that she had such a close friend in Dori.

* * *

At the train station, the team was ready to load up onto the train. The conductor was perplexed at the size of Erza's luggage, while Natsu was struggling to mentally push himself onto the train. Palva was away from the group, grabbing some bottled drinks for everyone.

"Whoo! Good thing I got the last of these soda drinks." Palva sighed in relief, looking at the brand 'Hakobe Dew' in her hand, "I know I got a couple other kinds, but I never tried this one before. Wonder how good it is if it got sold out this quickly?"

"You got to be kidding me!" exclaimed a girl's voice from behind. Palva turned to see a girl in her mid-teens with long, raven-black hair, wearing a one-piece dress that was white, silver and blue-patterned, tightly hugging the upper part of her body. She also had white and silver-trimmed stockings, aqua blue strapless shoes, a pair of gold rings around her right wrist, a frilly, brown shoulder bag, and a blue, cat-like guild mark on her lower right arm.

"You mean you JUST sold the last Hakobe Dew you had?!" she questioned the clerk.

"I really am sorry." the male clerk apologized, nervous about the scene she was making, "We will have another shipment coming in, but it'll come in the afternoon."

"Aw, man. This sucks…" she moped, dropping her head on the table, "I really enjoy the fizzy delight and the flavor that drink has to offer, and I was so looking forward to having one. Now what'll I do?"

As she watched her give out a long moan, Palva looked at the said drink in her hand. She had a couple others, and the girl did seem pretty down for not having the drink. She took a few seconds, then sighed, realizing what was more appropriate at this moment.

She walked back to the desk where the girl continued to mope, and said, "Hey, you can have mine." The girl looked up, gazing her silver eyes down at Palva as she held the Hakobe Dew out. "I bought the last one, but I can see you want it more than me. You can have it, if you want."

The girl's eyes sparkled in joy as she snatched the drink out of Palva's hand and exclaimed, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You are so kind, little girl!"

"I'm not that much younger than you!" Palva growled, "And the name's Palva!"

"Sorry. Didn't mean any offense." the girl answered, "My name is Coraline. I'm a mage of the Cait Shelter guild." She examined Palva a bit, and saw the guild mark on her shoulder, recognizing it as she stated, "Hey, you're from Fairy Tail! You guys are pretty famous."

"Thanks. I actually just recently joined about a few weeks ago." the young Dragon Slayer explained.

"Hmm…" Coraline examined Palva carefully, then stated, "You do have some sort of intense strength, I can feel that. Hey, maybe we can face one another in a fight sometime?"

"Isn't that a bit sudden?" Palva questioned, surprised she would ask for a fight so quickly.

"Palva!" Lucy was calling out to her from a distance, waving a hand as she added, "Come on! The train's about to head out!"

"Coming!" she called back in response, groaning after hearing she had to go onto the train, then turning to Coraline and saying, "Well, I don't know about that fight, but I wish you the best of luck with your guild."

"Same here." she answered, "I hope we meet each other again!" Palva nodded in agreement, and took off as the train whistle blew, while the workers were shouting last call for departure. Coraline watched her as Lucy scooted her onto the train, then turned to the rest of the station and muttered, "Alrighty then. Gotta wait for the next train to arrive." She wandered off, humming a tune as she popped open the Hakobe Dew, taking a swig of it, and sighing in relief.

* * *

Some time later, the teams found themselves in two separate coaches on the train. The boys had one coach, meaning a sickly Natsu, Leon, Happy, and Gray were sharing one. The girls plus Pastry had another coach to themselves. Erza and Lucy had one end, while the Himeka sisters had the other. However, one of them was in a rather…well, to be frank, it was a rather silly position to be inside the small room.

"Uh, are you okay with being like that?" Lucy asked questionably, looking at Palva, who was hung in the air thanks to Pastry, holding her from behind.

"It's the only way for me not to die from sitting on the moving train." Palva moaned, feeling embarrassed at the question.

"Still, it must be uncomfortable for you, Pastry." Erza stated, "Are you gonna hold her up like this all throughout the train ride?"

"I don't mind as much." Pastry assured her, "There have been more awkward and/or strenuous situations than this."

"You mean like that time you caught Leon from falling off that cliff while he was still in Shadow Rain Armor?" Dori asked, amused, "You sprained your back from that experience."

"An experience you caused, I might add!" Pastry reminded her, "If you didn't send that Crystal Wall at him during training, he wouldn't have been sent flying!"

"It was a new way of using that move at the time. I didn't know it was gonna be THAT strong." Dori defended.

Palva chuckled a bit, recalling that scenario to actually be pretty funny. She could vividly recall Pastry's expression of comical pain after slowly rising up with Leon and his heavy armor, and it didn't make it any better that he was knocked unconscious by that attack.

"I will drop you into the seat…" Pastry growled, knowing what was going through her mind. This ceased Palva's laughter altogether.

"Are there any other funny stories you could tell us about?" Lucy asked, intrigued by what they had to deal with in the past.

"Well, there weren't that many, what with all the issues of us running away from the military and magic guilds." Dori pointed out, "Still, things did lighten up back when we were joined by Pastry and Leon. Having more people around put our minds at ease."

"I still didn't forget that day. We were just wandering down the road when he showed up." Palva recalled, "The first thing he did, though, was attack Dori."

"He attacked Dori?!" Erza asked, looking at the said individual, "Why would he do that?"

"I have no idea." she answered, "He doesn't know either. However, he did mention that something about my long, red hair suddenly made him ferociously angry."

"That's weird…" Lucy muttered, scratching her chin.

"No, I had a similar experience when I first met him on Galuna Island." Erza recalled, "He attacked me after I mentioned my name, but he was quite hostile towards me the first time he saw me."

"Maybe he doesn't like red hair or something?" Lucy assumed.

"Or maybe someone with red hair in his past angered him." Palva muttered, looking to Dori, "You and I assumed as much, right?" Her sister nodded in response.

"Guess we'll never know until he regains his memories again." Erza stated, folding her arms in thought.

On the opposite side, Leon sneezed hard. "You okay?" Gray asked him, already stripped to his boxers.

"Probably because he's sitting next to your frozen butt." Happy assumed, trying to take care of the motion-sick Natsu on the opposite seat.

"Watch it, cat!" growled the Ice-Make mage.

"By the way, put your clothes back on." Leon told him, causing Gray to be startled he had unconsciously stripped himself.

Back in the other coach, Lucy asked, "By the way, Dori. I've been meaning to ask you something…"

"Shoot." Dori answered while Palva started to drink one of the sodas she bought.

"You seem to be pretty smart on a lot of things." the celestial mage pointed out, "How much do you read?"

"Just the things I want during our long journey across Alakitasia." she answered, "I tend to read a few books in every library we come across."

"'A few', she says." Palva sarcastically remarked, "More like two dozen in each TOWN we visit! You are such a bookworm."

"She reads that much?" Lucy asked, surprised.

"We didn't have that many people to teach us stuff, so I go to libraries to learn and teach to Palva." Dori explained, "Just the essentials, like basic writing, reading, magic and stuff."

"Plus all the research you went into trying to find a cure for my curse." Palva added, "And the research you had in other forms of magic that peaked your interest. There was also wildlife research, the plant dictionary, maps, history, and all other sorts of things that I can't possibly count. You kept all the books you wanted in that magical satchel you found."

"Magical satchel?" Erza asked.

"Yeah. I managed to find a rare magic item that I sewed onto my bag." Dori explained, revealing a small, raggedy satchel attached to her bag by stitches. "From what I heard, it was enchanted so that it could fill it with as much space as the user needs." She reached in deep, pulling out a small stack of books out. "I keep all the books I want in here."

"That's incredible!" Erza praised Dori's intellect, "You must be incredibly smart to self-teach yourself all that."

"Seriously, is there anything you're not good at?" Lucy asked her.

"Yeah. Cooking." Pastry answered bluntly before she could have a word, "She can read a book and follow instructions, but she somehow seems to ruin any recipe she touches."

"True that…" Palva agreed.

"Oh, come on! I'm not that bad!" Dori argued.

"Remember that day I almost died from food poisoning after you tried seasoning a roasted fish I was cooking for us?" Palva asked irritably.

"It was the fish that gave you the food poisoning, not the seasoning!" Dori retorted angrily.

"The fish was fine! I bit into the same fish before you decided to sprinkle it with that made up spice you decided to try!" Palva angrily barked.

The two ended up going into a heated argument on who's fault it was that day, while Pastry irritably floated there, having to listen to this.

"They certainly are sisters, aren't they?" Lucy asked with a sweat-dropped expression.

"It almost reminds me of Natsu and Gray bickering." Erza compared, "Only this is probably something I can leave. After all, the closer siblings are, the more they like to fight."

After a few minutes, Dori and Palva settled down, with both agreeing to disagree with the other. "Speaking of my books, I should probably buy a bookshelf when I get back home." Dori realized, looking at her satchel, "Might as well keep those in a more appropriate place."

"Yeah, we haven't really broke into our rooms quite yet." Palva realized, "I have no idea what to put into my place. Never really thought I would settle down somewhere."

"What about you and Leon, Pastry?" Dori asked the ginger cat.

"We actually got approval to stay at the Strauss siblings place." Pastry answered, "They decided to give us one of the guest rooms to stay there. They did say we have to pay for our own share, but otherwise, we'll be fine."

"Yeah, and that reminds me. We gotta start working on jobs soon." Dori stated, "Now that we have our own places, we need to pay for rent and get pay money for food and stuff."

"That's true. I need to pay on my next month's rent." Lucy recalled.

"I'm sure we can work together to find suitable jobs for all of you." Erza assured them with a smile.

* * *

It was about a half hour of talking like this until the train came to a halt at a station in a town called 'Kyota'. When they arrived to the station, the train conductor ordered everyone to get off the train, and that they would be delayed for progressing further for a long while. The Fairy Tail mages did so, in confusion. Natsu was glad to be alive again, while Pastry was able to rest his wings on Leon's shoulder.

"I wonder what's going on?" Gray asked, while the passengers seemed confused at the situation.

"We should ask somebody why the train was delayed." Dori told the team, walking towards where one of the station workers was, "Scuse me, sir. Is there something preventing the train from going?"

"Yeah. Take a look at the track ahead." the guy answered, poking a thumb on the tracks ahead of them.

Everyone went to the front of the train, gazing at the path ahead. From what they saw, it looked like the tracks were completely in shambles. Twisted metal, trees ripped off and falling onto the track, all sorts of damage that was much more severe than it should.

"What happened here?" Erza questioned in shock.

"Did a pair of mages started going ballistic here?" Leon asked.

"Maybe a wild animal caused this!" Happy asked.

"I wish. This only happened recently, and we all witnessed who or what caused it." the station worker stated, "Honestly, we're still in shock as to what it was."

"Why?" Palva asked, confused.

"Because it's an impossibility." the worker answered, "We never witnessed them in our lives before, but it seemed like they were still alive somewhere."

"Stop beating around the bush, and tell us what caused this mess!" Pastry demanded.

The station worker paused, nervous to answer this question. Finally, he answered, "They came out of this weird portal that's hanging around in the middle of town. It was a pair of dragons, and one of them had a guy riding on top!"

The news of the creatures shocked the Fairy Tail mages, but one, in particular, was definitely startled.

"Did…did you say dragons?!" Natsu demanded in a shocked manner, then he shifted into a demanding rage as he barked, "Where did they go?! What did they look like?! Was one of them a Fire Dragon named Igneel?!"

"Natsu, calm down!" Palva pleaded with him, pulling him away from the terrified worker.

"You really saw them? And they really were dragons?!" Lucy asked, petrified.

"Y-Yeah…" the worker answered, "They certainly were different from wyverns, who don's usually come close to this town. They both looked like the description of dragons in books. One of them was green and scaly. The other one was white and feathery."

Natsu stopped struggling against Happy and Palva, looking shocked at the description he gave. "Those…those don't sound like Igneel at all!" he pointed out, "But if they really are dragons, maybe they can give me a clue as to where he is. Let me find them!"

"Hold on, Natsu!" Dori stopped him, "I know you are eager to find your foster father, but we can't go rushing in without getting all the details. First, let's go to where this weird portal is. You said it was still there?"

"Yes, ma'am. In the center of town." the worker answered, "It has been there since about eight AM this morning."

"And it's almost eleven, right now." Dori noticed the clock nearby.

"That's certainly a long time for something like that to last." Gray noted.

"Let's go investigate the scene. We should see this portal for our own eyes." Erza told the group, who agreed to this. Well, almost everyone.

"I'm not sure if this is such a good idea." Lucy whimpered, "I mean, what'll happen if we get there, and another dragon or something that menacing comes out?"

"Then it's a good thing we have some of the strongest mages Fairy Tail has to offer." Dori answered with a smirk, "Besides, Palva and Natsu are Dragon Slayers. They can handle this, right?"

"They already left…" Happy pointed out, indicating the dust trail they were leaving behind as they charged to the center of town.

"Idiots!" Gray growled as he and Leon charged after them, with Pastry on his shoulder.

"We should stick together, Natsu!" Erza barked as she, Dori, Lucy and Happy brought up the rear of the group, chasing after the two Dragon Slayers.

* * *

In the forest near the town, three individuals were walking back to the scene of the crime on the railroad. They were hard to see, what with the trees in the way. One of them looked younger than Palva, wearing a tribal-themed Gothic Lolita attire.

The second looked like a maid, although she did seem to have what looked like antler-like horns on her head.

The third was a boy-looking girl with dead fish eyes underneath her glasses, wearing casual attire.

"Uh…" the boy-looking girl muttered, looking to the town beyond, "How in the heck did we end up taking a wrong turn in the first place? What the crap?"

What these three had no idea about, or what the Fairy Tail mages were gonna discover, was that a new friendship between two different lives would suddenly form on this day, and it would take them on a crazy, 24-hour long adventure.

* * *

 **This came out a lot sooner than I thought, in all honesty. Still, this was about half the length compared to the previous chapter, around 8.5k words. What's more, it was very dialogue heavy, with a lot of ideas pulled from the manga, accordingly. Situations like Ultear's conversation with an unknown person, to the dragon's meeting with Igneel, ect.**

 **Now, we also have new characters to join into the story; a mysterious dragon named Aquos, and her 'child', Coraline. Let me just say that this is only a glimpse of what is to come, and she won't be back for a long while. You can probably guess when they will return, but this OC was created by my dear friend 'Coral the Leviathan'. I can't wait to show off this character more when the time is right. For now, count this as the character's debut to the story!**

 **And now there are three other individuals, and a pair of dragons who have suddenly appeared on the scene as the team investigates a weird portal that opened up in this town. What significance does this portal have to the story. Who are these three individuals? What's with the dragons?! So many answers, but I won't spoil them for you.**

 **As always, leave a review, tell your friends, and wait for the next arc of the story, which I won't say exactly what it is, but I'll put it in initials: BHDM. Figure that one out!**


	20. Burning Heart of a Dragon Maid!

**Natsu:** **Hey, guys! Ready for some more stories from the world of Fairy Tail?**

 **Palva:** **Well, guess what? We got a special chapter for you! Not only will this be our 20th chapter in Burning Hearts of Fairies, but it will feature a crossover between two worlds! And featuring big-hit characters from a 2017 anime!**

 **?:** **Hey, is it almost time?** _(? appears flying down on her wings)_

 **Palva:** **Tohru! You were suppose to leave you and those other two guests as a surprise! Why are you appearing now?!**

 **Tohru:** **Sorry, I just couldn't help it. I was so excited to be a part of your story, if only for a few episodes.**

 **Natsu:** **Eh, can't complain with that logic.**

 **Palva:** **Really, Natsu?**

 **Tohru:** **Besides, I thought it would be nice if we actually had an intro to this series, so I set a special one up for us to show to everyone at the end of this chapter!**

 **Natsu:** **Oh yeah, we did set that up, didn't we?**

 **Palva:** **True. Guess we might as well show them. And if people want, we can start doing intros for this entire series, one for every one or two arcs.**

 **Tohru:** **So, without further ado…**

 **All:** **Let this special crossover episode begin!**

* * *

 **Previously on Fairy Tail:**

 _(Pastry speaking)_ With the Tower of Heaven behind us, we were able to relax at the Akane Resort with Erza's old friends, Sho, Wally and Millianna, while we also remorse for the death of Simon. We spent the night together, until Erza's old friends decided to leave to seek out their own freedom in this world. We sent them off with fireworks and farewells, with the promise to see one another again.

We left on a train back to the Fairy Tail guild, where the girls got to know about Dori, Leon and the others. However, we came to a stop in front of a place called Kyota Town, because the train tracks were wrecked by, what a worker claimed to be, a pair of dragons and a person riding them. With us trying to figure out where these dragons came from, we pursued Natsu and Palva to the central part of town, were a mysterious portal was suppose to be…

* * *

In the central square of the town, almost all of the citizens were gathered around, staring in shock at what just appeared in their town. Military soldiers were forming a circle around the thing that caught everyone's attention. "Don't get any closer!" one of them shouted, "We have dispatched for the military and a request from all guilds, and are awaiting for assistance on this matter!"

"Out of our way!" Natsu's voice shouted, and citizens looked up as he and Palva leapt over the crowd with a huge bound, landing inside the circle of startled soldiers.

"What the- Who the hell are you?!" one of them demanded, all of them turning to the Dragon Slayers with weapons raised.

"We're from Fairy Tail, so back off!" Palva responded, displaying her guild mark.

"Someone came already?" the soldier asked, "But how…?"

"Natsu!" "Palva!" the crowd parted as the rest of the Fairy Tail team raced through, joining up with them outside the ring of soldiers. They all stopped and looked in shock as Natsu and Palva gazed up at the thing that drew everyone's attention. It was a shimmering white, yellow and green cloud of energy, swirling in midair, constantly changing colors.

"What is that?" Gray questioned, slightly startled at what he was seeing.

"Is that some sort of magic energy or something?" Leon asked.

"Looks like a shiny cloud of cotton candy." Pastry compared.

"Does that mean it's edible?" Happy asked.

"Somehow, I doubt it…" Lucy answered.

Dori and Erza were able to get clearance from the guards so as to see the magic energy a bit better. "Do you think it's safe to touch it?" Palva asked as they arrived.

"Maybe I can eat it!" Natsu suggested.

"Absolutely not!" Dori barked angrily at the two, stepping in between the two, looking up at the magic, "Though…for some reason, I feel like I've seen something like this before."

"You have?" Erza asked her as Dori dropped her bag and started rummaging through the magic satchel.

"I certainly don't recall it if you have seen one." Palva looked back on their past.

"No, I mean through a book." Dori corrected herself, "In fact, I think it might be in this one…" She pulled out a leather-back book, the worn and raggedness of the cover showed that it had been around for a long time.

"What is that?" Lucy asked her, "One of the books you've gotten from a library?"

"No. This was one of the few research notebooks that I pulled from our old home when it was burned to the ground." she answered, "It had a sort of magical protection around it, preventing it from being damaged, meaning it has some great importance. It did belong to one of my ancestors, after all."

"What is it about?" Happy asked as the team looked over her shoulder, gazing down at the complex words as she flipped through the pages.

"It contains the research of all forms of mysterious and powerful magics from the past." Dori explained, "See, my family has a reputation of having a long ancestry of magic researchers, including my parents."

"I had no idea." Erza stated in surprise.

"What kind of magic did they look into?" Lucy asked her.

"All kinds. As many kinds of magic that they can. The more mysterious, the more intrigued they were." She stopped at one pair of pages, looking into it, then declaring, "Yes! I knew I read it somewhere! It's called an Arcane Gate!"

"An Arc- what now?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Hold on. Let me read this out loud…" Dori told the others, looking at the start of the research of what they were witnessing, with a picture of the exact same thing on the pages.

"November 23rd, X367. After researching on the emotional differences of light and dark magic, a question started forming in my head; What were the possibilities of magic being found in other worlds other than ours. Surely, we couldn't be the only world where magic exist, are we? It would be enlightening to see if such a place exists, so as to look at all kinds of magic formed throughout multiple worlds."

"Sounds like a bunch of magic maniacs rather than researchers." Happy pointed out, earning a fist over the head by an angry Palva for disrespecting her family.

"He does kinda have a point." Leon agreed, "From all that you read from me before, they were obsessed with cracking the mystery of all kinds of magic, not just a select few. Now, they wanted to know all about the magic of other worlds."

"It would be interesting to see the differences in other people's magic from ours." Lucy pointed out, "Come on, wouldn't you be curious?"

Dori cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention before continuing, "June 24th, X368. I have finally done it! After months of research, I was able to create a portal that could sense another world's magic, and connect itself to it, bridging a pathway to one another. I called this the 'Arcane Gate'. I plan to unleash this magic and go through the portal myself to witness another world."

"Project 'Arcane Gate' ended in failure. The moment I tried to step into it, the magic became unstable, and nearly destroyed my lab in the process. The portal vanished without a trace, leaving a sour taste in my mouth."

"I was sure to check everything before testing it, but maybe there were things I didn't take into account. The biggest of which, according to my hypothesis, is the difference in the magic in our world and another's. I guess that without the knowledge of other world's magic, the Arcane Gate could never come into reality."

"So the Arcane Gate was a failure?" Lucy asked, "If that's the case, then what's this standing before us?"

"Hold on…" Dori responded, flipping a few pages through, then continuing, "June 19th, X369. I heard rumors that a 'portal' much like the one I had created a year ago, has suddenly reappeared in the nearby town this morning. I was called upon to decipher what it was, though I was already on the way over there. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was, in fact, the same Arcane Gate that I had created so long ago!"

"I was baffled at how it was able to exist again. There was no doubt that this was the portal of my creation, and I fully intended to figure out why it was able to exist again. However, by the next morning, it had vanished. This left me perplexed, but also wondering if it lost the ability to hold itself together."

Dori flipped a few more pages, then continued, "June 25th, X370. After a year of waiting, I discovered the Arcane Gate appeared once more, in a completely different part of the country. Why did it not stay close to the kingdom like the last one? Does it just choose a random location to move to, or are there different concentration of magic in certain places every year?

"Either way, it was safe to assume that the Arcane Gate does appear approximately once a year, give or take a few days. It must spend that entire year searching for magic energy to gather in order to form itself again."

"I did more research onto the magic energy, and learned one other thing; The portal can only sustain itself for exactly twenty-four hours before it vanishes. That explained why it vanished the next morning last year."

"So it only stays around for an entire day before it vanishes?" Leon asked, "Well, that's certainly something."

"Then let's not stand around here, reading all day!" Natsu declared, "C'mon, Happy! Let's see what's on the other side!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy answered, ready to fly Natsu up to the Arcane Gate.

"Wait, hold on!" Dori stopped them, "You haven't heard the last bits of information she placed down!"

"Aw, there's more?!" Natsu pouted, "Come on, man! There's an awesome portal thingy to another world! I don't want to spend all this time wasting on listening to this crap! Let's go and-." Natsu barely finished before he and Happy got encased in a Crystal Lock formed by an irritated Dori.

"I decided to step into the Arcane Gate, to see what the other side was like." Dori continued to read, ignoring the other's disbelief she would still continue even after freezing the two nimrods in place, "It was amazing! The magic here was different, but what made it even more amazing was the technology they had. It was so much more advanced than what we had, and I wanted to understand it a bit better. I decided to take back a bit of the technology to my home."

"However, when I returned, I learned that while I spent an hour in that world, ten hours passed in mine. This was frightening to me, but later on, it made sense. Surely, our worlds all have a different time axis, and the Arcane Gate couldn't synchronize the times together, just the worlds. So in short, if we were to venture into the portal, there's no telling if time would move faster or slower than our time. All I know is that the Arcane Gate will only remain open for twenty-four hours in OUR world, not the other."

Dori closed the book as Gray asked, "What was that suppose to tell us?"

"It means that if we enter into the portal, there's no telling how long it will sustain in the other world before it closes." Erza summed up, "Meaning if we stay there too long, and the Gate closes, then we have no chance of returning to our world."

"What's more, there must be a huge amount of worlds with magic out there." Dori added, "There's no telling if the portal will open up in the same world twice, and in the same exact location. Meaning that we might never return here again if the bridge connecting the two worlds closes. If they do once more, years could pass in our world, whereas the amount of time passing in the other world could differ from days to decades and so forth."

She stomped on the ground, creating a magic circle that freed Natsu and Happy. "Did you get all that?" Dori asked, "I did make sure you had your ears out to hear."

"Yeah, we got it." Natsu grumbled, "I guess it would be too risky to go through that portal thingy."

"Aye. Even if it would be fun." Happy sighed.

"Well, it's not to say we CAN'T go through the Arcane Gate." Dori reassured them, "We just have to be careful. So I have a plan." She turned to the ginger cat of their team and ordered, "Pastry, I want you to go through that Gate and wait for exactly one minute in that world. Don't go investigating that place, but wait for that amount of time before returning. I'll even give you a lacrima to keep time."

"And what if the portal closes behind me in that time?!" Pastry demanded.

"I'm sure there'll be signs that the Arcane Gate will close." Dori assured him, "Just go in and keep the time. I'll keep the time on my end, so that when you return, we can tell the difference in time in each world."

"Okay…" Pastry muttered, hesitantly. Dori produced a pair of lacrima crystals that functioned like stop-watches. She handed one to Pastry, while keeping one to herself. She gave him the thumbs up, as the rest of the team wished him luck. With that, he dove straight into the Arcane Gate, disappearing from sight. When he did, Dori started the timer lacrima, waiting for Pastry's return.

"We should be able to handle this from here on out." Erza assured the soldiers, "For right now, could you not allow anyone else to enter into that portal?"

"O-Of course." the soldier answered, "But what about the creatures that came out of the portal before?"

The others looked at each other, and Natsu vocalized what everyone was thinking. "Crap, I forgot about them!" Natsu gasped, "We gotta find those dragons, pronto!"

"He's right. Plus, we would probably need them to return to the world they came from." Palva added, "It would suck if they got stuck here in our world."

"You're right. Might as well go look for them." Gray decided, "Wouldn't be hard to find a couple of dragons here, right?" The others nodded in agreement, with Natsu wondering where these dragons were, and if they were in any relationship to Igneel.

* * *

During this time, three individuals came from the outskirts of town, going in to look around. The first of them was a flat-chested young woman, in her mid-twenties, with mid-length red hair, tied in a ponytail, and hazel, dead-fish eyes under her glasses. She wore a light-brown cardigan over a white button-up shirt, dark green slack, and beige shoes.

The second was a well-endowed girl in her mid-teens, with long blonde hair with red tips, tied in twin-tails that reached her hips, and had orange-red eyes. Her attire consisted that of a maid outfit, though it looked more like cosplay than anything. It was black and white, with a red necktie and ribbon tied around her midriff. The one thing that seemed off about all of this was her two-pronged horns on her head.

The third was the youngest girl of the group, around eight or nine years old, with long, white-lavender hair that were tied in pigtails, held by three dark blue beads each, and big blue eyes. Her attire consisted of a white caplet with a fur collar, a pink blouse, a white frilly skirt, white leggings., red doll shoes, and a black hairband. Her attire could be best described as 'Gothic lolita with a tribal theme'.

"Finally, we made it into town…" the eldest member of the trio sighed in relief.

"You know, I could've just flown us back here again." the teen pointed out, "There was no need to walk!"

"No way! Not after we destroyed those train tracks." the woman pointed out, "Which reminds me, why in the heck did we end up in the middle of town in the first place?"

"I have no idea." the teen shrugged, "I didn't even create that portal we went through. It just appeared when I was bringing you and Kanna back home."

"Kobayashi, are you scared?" the young girl named Kanna asked.

The eldest, Kobayashi, smiled and pat her head as she answered, "Don't worry about me. As soon as we find our bearings, we can go back. Isn't that right, Tohru?"

The teen, Tohru, smiled and raised her fists eagerly as she declared, "Yes! Just leave everything to me! Tohru's on the job! Although…" She looked about the area as she finished, "I have no idea where we are. This is clearly not my world or your's, Miss Kobayashi."

"Seriously? Then where the heck are we?" the dead-fish eyed woman asked, looking about.

"Maybe we should ask around and see if…" Tohru started, but she stopped in mid-sentence, her senses picking something up.

"What is it?" Kobayashi asked her, noticing the change in her expression.

"There's a couple of dragons nearby." she answered, "They both seem pretty strong, and they're getting closer!"

"Seriously?" Kobayashi looked up and about, "I don't see any. Maybe they're in human forms, like you two."

"Maybe they can tell us where we are." Kanna suggested.

"I agree. And if they try to attack me or you, Miss Kobayashi, I'll destroy them till not even their bones remain!" Tohru threatened.

"Please don't jump to anything rash…" Kobayashi muttered, as Tohru lead the team along the streets towards where the dragons were.

* * *

Several blocks away, the Fairy Tail mages were walking along the winding streets towards the mountains. After gaining some info, they told Leon and Happy to stay and wait for Pastry to return to the other side of the portal. Leon was okay with this, as there was a nearby blacksmith, and he had to finish up fixing all the armor that broke in his battle against Ikaruga, while modifying the new leggings of the Herculean God Armor to fit his size.

"If our info is right, then the dragons must've flown off into the area of the mountains." Dori told the team.

"Since the Arcane Gate appeared at 8am this morning, and it's now almost noon, that means we have about twenty more hours to send those dragons back and prevent any others from arriving." Erza summed up, "Let's be sure to clean up the mess that was made, alright?"

She was specifically looking at the growling fire-and-ice males in their group, who looked scared at her glare and responded with a, "Whatever you say."

"Geez, you guys…" Lucy sighed, looking back at the two boys as she walked by Palva's side.

Just then, the female Dragon Slayer stopped, her nostrils picking up something. Natsu also stopped, as he was sniffing something in the air, as well. Everyone else stopped and looked at the two of them.

"What is it, Palva?" Dori asked her sister.

After a couple sniffs, she answered, "I smell a pretty powerful flame nearby. Funky one, too. It's in this town."

"Yeah, I can smell something like that, too." Natsu seconded, "There are two scents sort of like Igneel's, and they're getting closer."

"You…you don't think that it's those dragons, do you?" Lucy asked, looking scared as she looked about.

"I don't see any dragons." Gray pointed out.

"Neither do I." Erza agreed.

"No, the smells are definitely getting closer!" Natsu told the team, "C'mon, Palva! Let's find them!"

"Right!" she answered, and the two Dragon Slayers took off.

"Wait, you guys!" Lucy cried out as she, Dori, Gray and Erza charged after them.

Natsu and Palva had their noses out, trying their best to find the path that led them quickly to the flames they were smelling. They criss-crossed across town, stopping every once and a while to smell where they were going, before moving onward. The other four could only follow the ones with better senses than them.

Meanwhile, the three ladies mentioned before were wandering on one of the wider streets, with Tohru leading the team. "I can sense that they're really close." she told Kobayashi and Kanna.

Just then, two figures rounded the corner two buildings ahead of them, revealing themselves to be Natsu and Palva. The three girls stopped walking at the sight of them. Panting, Natsu and Palva looked at the three for a second, then Natsu asked, "Yeah, it's got to be them! There's no doubt two of them smell like dragons."

"Yeah. I think the smells are coming from that little girl and that other one who's dressed like some sort of maid." Palva assumed, indicating Tohru and Kanna.

"Looks like they called you two out." Kobayashi noticed, as the rest of Fairy Tail joined them.

"For your information, I am a maid!" Tohru corrected Palva's statement.

"Who are they?" Lucy asked.

"Don't know. But two of them definitely smell like dragons." Palva answered.

"If you're talking about Kanna and I, then you are right." Tohru responded, "Although, we don't just smell like dragons. We are dragons."

The Fairy Tail mages were quite perplexed at this fact, wondering how the heck they were dragons. Dori, however, wasn't paying attention. She was gazing at Kanna for a moment, seeing her eyes and overall look of her. For a moment, it was as if sparkles dazzled about the little girl, amplifying her overall cuteness. Dori's cheeks blushed as she gave off a weird smile, awing at her.

Unbeknownst to her, Gray and Lucy were looking perplexed at Dori's sudden new expression, and they were quite disturbed. "Uh… Dori…?" Lucy muttered.

"You feelin' okay?" Gray asked, "You look really weird right now."

"SO CUTE!" Dori exclaimed, startling the rest of the team, and she used a Crystal Launcher at her feet to make a fast leap at Kanna, grabbing her as she flew, and falling onto back, cushioning the young girls fall as she hugged her. Tohru and Kobayashi were both startled at what they had just witnessed, and watched as Dori started rubbing her cheek against Kanna's face.

"I've never seen such an adorable girl like you before!" Dori squealed, completely out of her usual character, "My goodness, you have to be from another world! Your cuteness is definitely out of this world!" Kanna seemed perplexed, but felt no threat from this girl, apart from the squeezing she was getting from Dori's embrace.

"What…just happened?" Kobayashi and Lucy both asked, weirded out by this scene.

"Sorry. I guess I should warn you that my sis has a thing for really cute girls like that." Palva sighed, her reaction indicating she was use to this side of Dori.

"A thing?" Lucy echoed.

"Looks more like a sickness." Natsu followed.

"Apart from books, Dori does like to collect dolls she likes." Palva pointed out, "It's mainly of those that look young and wide-eyed. That girl definitely fits that criteria."

"Sure, whatever you say…" Kobayashi understood, sweat-dropping as Dori let go of Kanna, but started preening her hair with her fingertips.

"That aside, what do you mean by that you two were dragons?" Natsu asked, as he and Palva drew closer to Tohru, "You don't look anything like one!"

Tohru didn't answer, but instead produced a thick, green, scaly tail from underneath her dress, along with a pair of bat-like wings from her back. "I could show you my true form, but Kobayashi doesn't want me to." she told the two surprised mages.

"At least you listened to that." Kobayashi stated with relief.

"So you produced a tail and wings. That doesn't qualify you as a dragon." Palva pointed out.

"Yeah, though you do smell like one." Natsu added, taking a couple sniffs.

"You two also smell like dragons, too." Tohru pointed out, "Does that mean you are also dragons disguised as humans?"

"Uh, no…" Palva answered, questioning how that was even possible, "But we are Dragon Slayer mages."

The title surprised Tohru and Kobayashi, the latter then shifting from surprise to a calm anger. An anger that suddenly became palpable as the Fairy Tail mage started to feel an intensity in the air that made them really cautious. "I see…Dragon Slayers…" Tohru muttered, "Then, I assume that the reason that you two smell like dragons…" Her teeth became fanged and her pupils dilated as she finished, "…Is because of the blood of the dragons you two have slain?!"

"What?" Palva questioned in perplexity, while Natsu became really cautious at Tohru's sudden change in attitude. Everyone else was starting to become really scared at the maid girl's behavior, even Dori, who still held Kanna.

"Tohru?" Kobayashi asked, nervously.

"Miss Kobayashi, you'd better step back." Tohru growled, her hands suddenly transformed into beast claws, "I'm going to stain the entire street with their blood for killing others of my kind!"

"Wait, what are you talking about?!" Palva asked, "We didn't…" Before she could finish, she was suddenly send flying by a punch from Tohru, causing her to tumble and crash through a building.

"Palva!" Natsu shouted, startled at how powerfully his 'little sister' was sent flying. Tohru wasn't finished, as she suddenly lunged forward with a brandished claw. Natsu turned and unleash a revenge blow with his fiery fist, canceling out Tohru's attack.

"If you really are a dragon, then you should know something…" Natsu growled at Tohru as they pushed claws against fist, "I'm more than just a Dragon Slayer. I'm also a Fairy Tail mage, and no one hurts a fellow mage like that. Especially Palva!" He unleashed a powerful punch with his other fiery fist, which was blocked by Tohru's free arm. She got sent skidding away, causing grooves along the stone street as she skidded to a halt. Kobayashi was startled as she backed away from the battle, while the two fighters glared at one another.

" **Fire Dragon's Talon!** " Natsu shouted, leaping forward and coming in with an overhead axe kick, to which Tohru crossed her arms in defense, blocking the attack. She then opened her mouth and expelled an intense amount of flames in Natsu's face. Everyone was shocked by the intensity of the flames, though they weren't worried of Natsu as Kobayashi was. Tohru gazed into the flames, then was startled to see Natsu sucking in all of her expelled flames, landing on the ground as he did so.

"Wow. Those flames were really tasty!" he snickered, wiping his mouth, "Thanks to you, I got a major fire in my belly!"

"He ate the flames?!" Kobayashi asked, "How in the heck can he do that?!"

"Hey, I wanted some!" shouted a familiar voice, " **Fire Dragon's Pounce!** " Palva came rocketing out of the debris of the damaged building thanks to some flames, and Tohru barely saw it coming, causing her to be sent flying into the building next to them. Kobayashi almost got hit by the attack, had it not been for Lucy making a leaping dive at her, dropping her to the ground and shielding her from harm.

"Natsu, Palva, take the battle somewhere else!" Dori ordered them, "The last thing we need is damage to the town!"

"Right. Sorry." Palva apologized.

"Wait, why are you so bothered by that?" Natsu asked, "I mean, we destroy buildings all the time in order to get the job done."

"That's still something you shouldn't do!" Dori barked in retaliation, just as Tohru blasted away the debris around her.

"Not a bad strike, for a mere human." the maid girl stated, "But now it's time to get serious about destroying you!" She created a magic circle in front of her, and her body shined as she transformed before everyone's eyes. The Fairy Tail mages were in shock as what she transformed into was a massive green dragon that was easily over four stories tall, standing on four legs, with black wings and a light green underbelly.

Lucy was speechless, but panicking all the same, as Kobayashi was getting really scared that destruction was surly coming about.

"I don't believe it!" Gray gasped, petrified.

"She really is a dragon!" Erza followed, also as shocked as him.

"I know she said you guys were, but this is insane!" Dori stated, still holding Kanna close to her, who was completely unfazed by Tohru's transformation.

"Holy crap, she really is one!" Natsu exclaimed.

"This is what a dragon really looks like?!" Palva exclaimed, "It's too huge!"

"Yes, this is my true form!" Tohru roared, "And it will be the last thing you see before you die, humans!" She opened her mouth, readying a magic circle. The two Dragon Slayers were both prepared for a powerful attack coming their way.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kobayashi shouted to her, "You can't fight here!"

Tohru stopped her attack almost suddenly, gasping, "You're right! I might cause harm to you, Miss Kobayashi. Better settle this in a better location." She rose on her hind legs, and snatched Natsu and Palva in each talon quite quickly. Perplexed, the two Dragon Slayers struggled to break free as Tohru flapped her wings, and soared towards an open area far along the west of town.

"Wait…what just happened?" Lucy asked.

"You actually can make that giant dragon obey you?!" Dori asked Kobayashi, shocked at her obedience.

"Tohru's not a bad person. She just jumps to conclusions too quickly." the woman explained, "Though, I get the feeling she did the same with those guys. I mean…" she turned to Lucy and pointed out, "You did save me from being hit by all that debris. You guys can't be that bad."

"But they said they slain dragons." Kanna pointed out, "Lady Tohru does have the right to destroy them."

"But that's just the kind of magic they wield." Dori explained, "Palva's never even seen a dragon before today, let alone kill one."

"Neither has Natsu." Gray agreed, "In fact, he says his dad's a dragon, and he's the one who taught him Fire Dragon Slayer magic."

"Really?" Kanna asked.

"Oh, no…" Kobayashi muttered, "It seems like we do have a misunderstanding."

"Agreed. We need to stop them." Erza ordered the team.

"Yeah, but how'll we catch up to them?" Lucy asked.

Kobayashi turned to Kanna and asked, "Can you help us, Kanna?" The little girl nodded confidently, pulling herself away from Dori. Then with a magic circle, she too transformed into a massive dragon. She was not as big as Tohru, but almost. She was also white and feathery, with blue feather.

"Oh, wow!" Dori gasped, "She's just as pretty in this form as she is adorable in her human form!"

"I think that magic energy from the lacrima before might've screwed up your head a bit…" Lucy muttered, finding it weird that she was not completely shocked at the sight of a second dragon among them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Leon and Happy were just coming out of the blacksmith. The former sighed as he stated, "The blacksmith did say he would take care of the rest of my armors and weapons, but at least I managed to get my coat back to normal. Plus, I adjusted those leggings so now I can Requip them without any trouble."

"How often do you go and repair your armor?" Happy asked him.

"Whenever I need to. Honestly, I can repair them myself, even on the road, as long as the damage is minimal. I also like to hunt around in different magic armor shops to see if there are any new pieces of armor that are worth my while. Maybe they have one here…"

"I'm back!" shouted a familiar voice. Pastry had just soared out of the portal, back to the two that were waiting for him.

"Welcome back!" Leon greeted him, relieved to see him come back.

"Are you okay? What was the other world like?" Happy asked, flying up to meet him.

"Well, it did seem pretty different compared to our world." Pastry started, "I can definitely tell you that there were more odd buildings there, and there were a lot of magic vehicles there, too."

"Really? Did they run on magic power like they do in our world?" Happy asked eagerly.

"Don't know. Remember, I only spent a minute there." Pastry reminded him.

"Whaa?! But it felt like a long time since you left!" Happy exclaimed.

"According to the timer lacrima Dori left for me, about little under a half hour." Leon stated, seeing the timer on the lacrima, then at the nearby clock, which said 12:30, "So if my math is correct, if we went there right now, we would spend a little under forty minutes there, I think."

"That's not a lot of time…" Pastry muttered.

"If we move fast enough, we could see everything." Happy suggested stupidly.

"If we were moving that fast, everything would be a blur!" Pastry retorted, "Let's just go and find the others so we can get those dragons back home."

Just then, there was a blast of wind that sent the cats falling over, while Leon endured the best he could, and for other people to scream in panic. Leon opened his eyes, and was startled to see a large, green, scaly dragon pass by them, heading to the plains nearby.

"Did you guys see…what I just saw?" he asked the cats, as the rolled up into a sitting position, looking at the distance.

"If you mean by the large, scaly dragon that just past by us, then yes." Pastry answered nonchalantly.

"I think I just saw Natsu in that dragon's claws!" Happy exclaimed.

"Seriously?!" Leon and Pastry asked, startled to hear what he saw.

Just then, another gust of wind struck them, and they endured while the two cats were smashed to the ground by the force. "Happy! Leon! Pastry!" They heard Lucy's voice, and they looked up to see a large white, feathery dragon flapping above them, with surprisingly everyone but Palva and Natsu on board it.

"What the hell?!" Pastry gasped, while the crowd and guards about were shocked and amazed at the sight of a dragon before them.

"We're trying to stop a fight between that dragon that passed by against Natsu and Palva!" Dori called out, "Get on, so we can go after them!"

While the crowd was still in shock, Leon, Pastry and Happy were stunned. "What the heck happened in the half hour you guys left and came here?" the blue-haired mage asked.

* * *

Out in the fields, Tohru was still flying as she roared, "This should be far enough!" She spread her wings out to slow herself down, and threw Natsu and Palva out of her hands, creating craters and plumes of dirt from impact. Fortunately, the two Dragon Slayers were still intact as they landed on their feet when they landed.

"Well, that was something…" Palva muttered, rolling her shoulders after she got in a tight grip by the dragon.

"I don't get it. Why bring us out here?" Natsu asked, "We could've fought you in town."

"True, but I will not endanger Miss Kobayashi." Tohru stated, readying herself to fight, "Besides, I can be more mobile out here."

Natsu pounded his fists into his palm as he said, "Sounds fine to me. I wouldn't mind fighting you at your best!"

"Whether it's a town or a forest, it doesn't matter." Palva followed, crouching down, with her Dragonic Fang on one hand, "You picked a fight with us, so we'll just follow through with it!"

"I won't let a lowly human best a proud and noble dragon like me!" Tohru declared, forming a ball of intense magic energy in her mouth, before blasting it in a stream at the two. They dodged to either side, then charged at the dragon before them.

"Get it straight! We ain't just your ordinary humans!" Natsu roared, making a leap with his fiery fist, "We're Fairy Tail mages!" He unleashed a punch at the side of Tohru's head, causing her to reel from the damage. Palva followed the attack with an uppercut kick to her chin, dealing even more damage.

"Why you…!" Tohru growled, raising a claw, and smashed Palva with it, sending her flying. She then whipped her tail around, and slammed Natsu in the face with it, sending him flying.

Palva slowed herself down with jets of flames at her feet, then shouted, " **Fire Dragon's Javelin!** " She expelled a stream of flames from her Dragonic Fang, shooting in a straight line at Tohru's body, though it didn't seem as effective.

"Is that the best you can do, human?!" the dragon demanded, creating a series of magic circles about her, unleashing several blasts of energy at Palva.

The female Dragon Slayer shot herself forward with the flames at her feet, spiraling and dodging out of the way of the attacks that came flying at her. She then bellowed, " **Fire Dragon's Lancet!** " Unleashing a stream of flames that wrapped around Tohru's neck, and started sucking the magic energy out of her, causing her to roar. "You're way too easy of a target, dragon!" Palva barked, landing on the ground with her magic attack at hand.

Tohru's eye's flashed, and pulled back her head, destroying the Lancet around her neck. She then noticed Natsu with a massive ball of flames in his hands above him, as he roared, " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!** " He send the ball downward, creating a massive explosion in Tohru's face. Natsu backed off in the air, landing on the ground next to where Palva landed, and they watched the flames in front of them for a while, only for them to be extinguished by the dragon's wings.

"I shall destroy both of you!" Tohru roared, readying another ball of intense magic energy.

"Bring it on!" the two Dragon Slayers roared back, inhaling deeply, " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " Both unleashed their breath attacks together, just as Tohru unleashed her red stream of magic. The attacks collided, and there was a massive explosion that could be seen from miles and miles away.

It caught the attention of the team riding on Kanna, along with someone skulking near the top of the mountains, witnessing the fight far beyond him. He grinned as he muttered, "So, the second Daughter of Demise has arrived. I should report this to our master…" He turned and raced up the mountain, vanishing into the cloud bank.

Back in the middle of the fight, all three fighters were still standing, Tohru having marks of damage on some parts of her body, while Natsu and Palva were panting from using so much magic energy. "This dragon is no joke." Palva muttered, wiping her mouth with her free hand.

"She ain't as tough as Igneel, but she's still a handful." Natsu agreed, grinning at the enjoyment for getting a tough fight.

"You humans are quite powerful, indeed." Tohru growled, "I have never met such a great and powerful mage that could even rival the gods in my world. However, this will be the end for you. I shall avenge those you have slain to uphold the dignity and might of dragons!" She began to create a mach comb of red magic energy around her body, prepared to charge at the two mages.

"What slain dragons?" Palva asked, perplexed once more, "I never even seen one!"

"Doesn't matter! If she wants to keep duking it out with us, then let's show her the might of a Dragon Slayer!" Natsu ordered, igniting his flames, consuming his body with them. Palva, feeling like their fight might be misconstruing, readied her lance, igniting it in flames as she prepared to pounce. Both Natsu and Palva launched forward, ready to finish off this dragon.

"Tohru!" "Natsu!" "Palva!" The three female voices could be heard as Kanna flew as fast as she could towards the fight, drawing the trio's attention. They looked as Dori and Erza leapt off of the white dragon, Erza Requipping into her Black Wing armor for extra flight speed towards Nastu, while Dori readied her hands to cast magic. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kobayashi and the two mages roared, the latter two either slamming Natsu over the head with a fist to send him crashing to the ground, or create a Crystal Wall that Palva smacked into, reeling back in pain. Tohru even ceased her magic energy, surprised at Kobayashi's arrival.

"Miss Kobayashi! Kanna! What are you doing here, and why do you have those human mages with you?!" the dragon questioned.

"Ow! What's the big idea?" Natsu and Palva groaned.

"You would be wise to shut up and let them speak!" Erza growled, glaring at Natsu in a way that made him quiver in fear.

"Seriously, stop this fighting." Dori ordered as Kanna landed on the ground with everyone on her, "You three have no reason to have this fight."

"What are you talking about, human?!" Tohru demanded, "These two have slain dragons! As a fellow, proud and noble dragon, I shall not allow their murderers to walk the earth any longer!"

"But we've never killed a dragon before!" Palva called out, "In fact, you're the first dragon we've ever seen!"

"Then why do you call yourselves 'Dragon Slayers' in the first place?!" the dragon demanded.

"Because that's the kind of magic we use!" Palva answered, "We use a kind of magic called Fire Dragon Slayer magic, which allows us the potential to kill a dragon by using their powers against them. But that doesn't mean we have actually killed on in the past."

"For real?!" Tohru questioned.

"Tohru, please turn back to your human form so we can talk this out." Kobayashi requested, "I promise you, they will not kill you…I think."

"Not if we have any say on it." Dori added, "I assure you, we will cease literal fire here until things are sorted out." She gave a look to Palva, who nodded in reassurance that she would agree to the terms. Natsu was still scared by Erza, who gave her own nod of confirmation that Natsu will not fight Tohru.

The green dragon looked down at them, narrowing her eyes. She then looked to Kobayashi, along with everyone by Kanna, and grumbled, "Alright…I'll stop for the moment…" She glowed brightly as she transformed back into her human maid form, then adding, "But if they make one wrong move on you, Miss Kobayashi, they're dead."

"That's…reassuring…" Kobayashi muttered.

"I think I'd rather not piss her off…" Lucy whimpered.

"I'm in agreement with that." Pastry followed, clinging behind Leon, "She is pretty powerful."

* * *

Moment's later, they found themselves back in Kyota Town, hiding themselves from the locals as they entered into a bar near the outer edges of the town. Once they were there, the Dragon Slayers then explained their titles, and what their magic can do, while the rest of the team was either listening or ordering drinks. Dori was on the former category, but had Kanna on her lap, cuddling her.

"So your magic basically uses the power of fire dragons to fight other dragons?" Tohru asked them confused, "But why would you learn that magic if you've never seen one?"

"Palva was born with the magic." Dori answered, "She doesn't know why she could use it in the first place."

"True. Though I did learn the techniques from really weird dreams I had." Palva explained, "I can't even remember what they were about, but they showed me the skills of using Fire Dragon Slayer magic."

"As for me, my dad taught me how to use it." Natsu stated, with Happy munching on a raw fish next to him.

"Your dad?" Tohru echoed.

"Yeah. He was a dragon called Igneel." Natsu explained simply.

"Hold on! Your dad was a dragon?!" Tohru question exasperatedly, standing up and slamming her hands on the table, "But why would a noble dragon teach a lowly human magic that can kill it's own kind?! That doesn't make any sense!"

"Don't ask me. He just taught me it cause he wanted to. Plus, it helped me defend for myself and made me strong enough to be the guy I am today."

"Aye! No one can outmatch Natsu in fire magic!" Happy cheered.

"Well, I can't say I like the idea of his reasons for teaching you that kind of magic…" the dragon maid muttered, "But the two of you were pretty tough out there for a pair of humans. I have to say, I'm impressed." Her last sentence had a hint of disdain at admitting such a fact.

"Well, you were pretty darn tough yourself." Palva retorted, "If Natsu wasn't still recovering, you would've been worse off."

"Come on! I was giving everything I had!" Natsu argued angrily, only to be proven wrong when Dori's punch on his shoulder sent shivers going all the way up him.

"You and I are both still recovering from the Tower of Heaven." she pointed out, "What with you practically poisoning your body with that Ethernano, and me channeling that tower's entire magic energy. We still need more time to recover before we're back to normal."

"What is this Tower of Heaven?" Kanna asked, looking up at Dori.

"A giant tower of lacrima that someone was intending to use to revive a really evil mage called Zeref." the crystal mage answered, "But thanks to us and all of our friends, we were able to stop that guy and prevent that resurrection." Kanna awed in amazement, causing Dori to blush at her cuteness once more.

"There's a lot I don't really get, but I guess you guys must've dealt with a lot before meeting us." Tohru pointed out.

"So are there any other dragons in your world?" Natsu asked Tohru, "Have you met a dragon called Igneel?"

"No, I don't recall anyone like that." the dragon maid answered, looking up, "Though I do know a few dragons who live in Kobayashi's world. There's Fafnir, who's a curse dragon that isn't the biggest fan of humans, but has gotten better. There's Quetzalcoatl, who likes humanity, and is staying at a mage's house. I think that's all…"

"And don't forget Lady Elma." Kanna added, "She's there, too." Tohru grumbled, trying to avoid mentioning her.

"Wait, you said 'Kobayashi's world'. Does that mean you and her are from different worlds?" Natsu asked, curious.

"Mm-hm! I escaped my world after I got hurt pretty badly when I fought with the gods and they stuck a sword in me." Tohru explained, "But thanks to Miss Kobayashi, she saved my life. So as thanks for what she did, I became her beloved maid."

"Really? You're a dragon, and yet you also became a maid?" Dori questioned.

"That's pretty weird." Natsu muttered.

"Coming from Natsu, that's saying something…" Happy added.

"Not to mention that maid attire looks…well, more like you came out of a maid café." Palva added.

"AGREED!" a roar from Kobayashi startled the group at the table, and they looked to see Kobayashi with a drink in her hand, and was obviously drunk. Lucy and Leon were at the same table, with the former having her fingers in her ears. "I KEEP TELLING HER THAT LOOK IS CLEARLY COSPLAY! IT'S ALL WRONG!" the dead-fish eyed girl argued, "SERIOUSLY, HOW DO PEOPLE GET THAT MIXED UP?!"

"Oh, boy…" Tohru muttered in a sweat-dropped expression.

"Seems like someone is pretty argumentative when under the influence." Dori pointed out, watching as Kobayashi turned to the two at her table, shouting her points on the difference in an actual maid attire, and what Tohru was wearing.

"She does seem to like maids, though." Palva added.

"Good thing Cana doesn't get this bad when she drinks too much." Happy added.

The other Kanna, who looked confused, got a squeeze from Dori as she corrected, "Not you. There's another Cana from our guild who, from what I saw, is the heaviest drinker there."

"I completely disagree!" another bark from someone that scared Natsu, Happy and Palva. They looked to another table, where Erza, Pastry and Gray were at. Each of them had their favorite sweet in front of them; a strawberry shortcake for Erza, and a blueberry tart for Pastry.

"Get real. The flaky crust mixed with the sweet cream and ripe blueberries is what makes this tart far tastier than your cake." Pastry huffed.

"I happen to disagree!" Erza retorted, slamming the table with her fist, "The sponginess of the cake, mixed with the fluffy whip cream and the strawberry to top it all off is a combination that makes it the far superior sweet than your's."

"GRAY, WHICH SWEET IS BETTER?!" the two demanded the mage in the middle, who felt like he didn't want to piss either one of them off any more.

"And then there's those two…" Dori muttered, with everyone else giving a sweat-dropped expression at their argument being mixed in with Kobayashi's.

"They really do like their sweets, don't they?" Kanna asked.

Natsu was snickering at Gray being a victim of these two, only to get a chair smacked in his face by the said person. "Think this is funny, lava-brain?!" he barked.

"No, I was laughing at your face, frost-for-brains!" Natsu growled back, rising back to his feet again.

The two butted heads as Gray growled, "You wanna go?! I'll take you down, here and now!"

"Bring it on!" Natsu growled back.

"Gray, why don't you put on some clothes before anything." Dori pointed out, indicating he suddenly went into his boxers, which he was surprised at.

"I wouldn't mind getting in on the brawl!" Tohru requested, standing up and raising her fist.

"Crap, this is getting out of hand!" Palva exclaimed.

"That's how things are in Fairy Tail." Happy stated through a mouth full of fish.

Dori looked at the two, then to Lucy and Leon, who are trying to defend themselves against Kobayashi's rant, then down at Kanna, who was not liking all the noise. Finally, she sighed as she said, "Enough of this. I'll get them to shut up."

She placed Kanna to one side, stood up abruptly, drawing the attention of all that weren't causing a scene, getting scared looks from Natsu and Gray, and caused Pastry and Erza to stop arguing. Even Kobayashi stopped and turned with a drunken expression at the crystal mage. They all knew what she was capable of, and knew that if they angered her, she could put them down. She walked away from everyone, going towards a piano that was sitting in the corner of the bar. She sat at the bench, stretching her fingers to loosen them up. The Fairy Tail mages and those from another world were confused, while Palva, Leon and Pastry knew what she was planning.

 _(Cue 'Smile for You' by Kaziurayuki)_

The moment she started to play, the entire bar went quiet as they could hear the notes to a song that was made more for a harp. What's more, she was not only playing, but singing, and in a voice that was so unexpected, that if they hadn't heard it before, you wouldn't have seen it coming.

"So pretty…" Lucy muttered, blushing at the beauty of her voice.

"I didn't know she could sing like this, let alone play a piano." Erza muttered, amazed at the new gift Dori was displaying.

"Remember, she had to be the mother for Palva for a long time." Pastry reminded her, "So if she was down or angry, this was the best way to calm her."

"The biggest memory she had of our mother, besides being a researcher, was that she loved to play the piano and sing a lullaby to her." Palva explained, "So when we were left on our own, she chose one more thing to learn, among all the other things she researched. She self-taught herself to sing and play, just like our mother, so that I could get the same feeling of warmth and love she got from her. True, we never had a piano constantly on us whenever we were on the run, but whenever she came across one, she would play music, recording herself on a lacrima so I could hear it again and again. But…I love just watching her play and sing, herself."

The team watched and listened as Dori was totally focused on her music. Her eyes were closed, yet her fingers had memorized every note to play. She remembered every lyric in the song she was singing. And with every note, the hyped up energy that could've destroyed the bar suddenly vanished, replaced with tranquility and peace.

Dori finished her song, and looked up at the group, smiling as she asked, "So, has everyone calmed down?"

"Yeah. Thanks a bunch." Leon thanked her.

"Seriously, you are amazing, Dori!" Lucy commended.

"Miss Kobayashi and Kanna seemed to have fallen asleep from that." Tohru pointed out, indicating the sleeping pair.

"Seems like Natsu's in snoozeville, as well." Pastry added, seeing the snot bubble formed from the collapsed Dragon Slayer, who grinned like an idiot.

"Well, as long as I'm here, do you want hear another song?" Dori asked.

"Yeah. If you got something a little more festive." Gray requested.

"Done. I know what'll work." the crystal mage answered, ready to play once more.

* * *

In an area smack dab in the middle of the mountains, like a root canal in someone's teeth, was a castle-like structure, home to a Dark Guild known as Demise's Monarchy. The person that had witnessed the fight before was part of such a guild, with his emblem, being that of a dragon-like head eating a crown, on his arm.

He whipped out a small wand with a lacrima orb on it, and it shined as he reached the moat of the castle. He watched as the drawbridge magically lowered, bringing it down towards his feet, and he started to race across it.

"Well, well. It's good to see you made it back, Posedis." He stopped abruptly, looking at the dark moat that surrounded the guild hall. A geyser suddenly bursted upwards, startling the man, Posedis. He looked up at a figure who stood on top of the geyser, his arms crossed. He was bald, and dark-skinned, but wore swimmer's goggles over his eyes. He wore an open purple vest, showing off his six-pack abs and his muscular arms in full, with his guild emblem on his chest. He wore skin-tight, black latex pants, and he was barefooted. He also wore a thick brown belt that looped twice around his waist, with chain links going along it, and a belt buckle with a gold dragon head on it.

"Master Xe!" Posedis addressed the mage, "I-I was just going to call on our master…!"

"Who gave you permission to leave your post, hm?" Xe said, leaping down from the geyser of water, which vanished the moment he stepped off. He leapt down in front of the scout, getting in his face, for he was a foot taller than him. "Does someone need to be taught another lesson on what his task is for our guild?" he asked, grinning maliciously, his eyes hidden by his goggles.

"N-No, sir!" Posedis stammered, "I needed to tell our master something. I saw her! The one she-."

"Come on, now. Don't tell me it's that village girl you were so interested in before?" Xe asked, grabbing him by the hair and pulling him off his feet, causing him to yelp in pain and flail in the air, "Maybe we do need to tell you what and where you are suppose to be in our guild. Or better yet, I'll go and grab that girl, drown her, and bring her corpse back to you."

"Sir, please!" Posedis pleaded, "Listen to what I have to say!"

"I only care about what you say in the here and now. I don't care for long explanations." Xe stated, "You really forgot about that, didn't you?"

"No! Please! Don't kill me!" the scout pleaded, tears forming in his eyes.

"Let him go, Xe." said a female voice, coming in with the sound of clanking footsteps. Xe let him go, turning as a person arrived on a scene. The only bit of skin that was visible on her was her face, which was her face, her blue eyes, and her brown hair that came out the back of her helmet, reaching her waist in waves. Everything else was hidden in heavy, dark pink armor, with a wire-framed skirt reaching her ankles. She also carried two half-circle shields, attached on each arm.

"It would be wise if you would allow him the chance to speak." the woman addressed the swimmer man, stopping near the edge of the bridge, "Please, speak up, Posedis.

"O-Of course, Miss Ituha." the scout addressed her, "It's…It's the Second Daughter of Demise. She's here!"

Both Xe and Ituha looked at each other, startled, then Ituha took a step forward as she demanded, "Are you sure?!"

"I'm quite positive!" Posedis answered hurriedly, "Please don't take another step! You'll break the bridge again!"

These words were his last mistake, and Xe knew it. Ituha stopped, her eyes dilated in rage. "Are you implying…" she started, raising a fist, "THAT I AM OVERWEIGHT?!" She surprisingly lunged forward fast, coming at the frightened Posedis. She punched him hard, sending him flying just as she landed in the middle of the drawbridge, and the wood frame broke underneath her, causing her to fall into the moat. Xe reacted by gripping one of his outstretched arms, forming a magic circle, and creating two geysers of water that came underneath Ituha, barely holding her up in midair as she was pushed back to the entrance again. Posedis was in the forest, one-hit KOed by the woman's attack.

"We keep telling you not to cross that bridge." Xe warned her as she landed on her feet, "This is the fourth one this month you broke."

"The bridges are weak and frail. You should build one that is thick and strong." Ituha retorted.

"Oh, it ain't the bridge that is the problem." Xe retorted, "It's you're, uh…"

"My 'what'?" she questioned, giving him a glaring eye.

Xe panicked, wondering how he could phrase this so she wouldn't take it the wrong way, so he cleared his throat and continued, "In any case, looks like she's here in this world, eh?"

"Aye. Tohru, was it?" Ituha recalled, "That name still irks our Mistress Kaliyah. However, when she finds out she's here, I bet she will be pleased."

"Indeed." Xe answered, giving a toothy grin, "The formation of this guild was made specifically for us to be the true rulers of demise. And we will kill any who claim themselves that title."

The two of them looked further into the castle, where the throne room resided. In it, there were two figures that stood there. One was a tall, spindly man with spikes on his outer arms and legs. The other, sitting on the throne, was a voluptuous young woman, with silk clothes going all the way down to her ankles, and an oak staff with a dragon's head and a blue lacrima orb in it's mouth. She opened her eyes, revealing yellowish-orange eyes, the pupils thinning out like a beast's eye. She could tell that someone was about to begin.

* * *

 _(Cue 'Aozora no Rhapsody (Jayn's English Cover)')_

 _(/watch?v=wUEvpAwEzSc)_

 **Chu chu yeah!**

 _(Natsu and Palva enter in, looking up at the 'Burning Hearts of Fairies' logo)_

 **Please me!**

 _(The two look to the opposite side of the screen to see Tohru standing confidently with the 'Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid' logo over her.)_

 **Chu chu yeah!**

 _(Palva runs into the middle, leaping up and using flames to destroy the words 'Fairies' and 'Miss Kobayashi's', with the exception of an 'a', then using Fire Dragon's Whip to bring the remaining words together to form 'Burning Heart of a Dragon Maid', snatching the 's' from 'Hearts' in the process.)_

 **Without you!**

 _(Natsu and Tohru raise their hands in presentation of the title, then take off to either side, while Palva threw the 's' she caught like a boomerang, creating fire that covers the screen.)_

 **Ah, what is happening? There must have been a big mistake!**

 **Why suddenly I'm having t-t-t-trouble now?**

 _(The logo still displays as the fires disperse, while the background features the full view of Kyota Town, along with the shoreline, and the mountains and forest in the background.)_

 **Why, how is this happening? Can I run away from everything?**

 _(Palva and Natsu race along the streets, turning a corner, bumping into Tohru, causing the trio to fall on the ground.)_

 **But, here in the craziness, I can feel it coming whimsically**

 **And I let myself get carried away!**

 _(They sat up, looking at one another. Then Natsu and Tohru angrily pushed their fiery fists and dragon taloned hands against one another, with Palva sighing in bemusement.)_

 **That's the way things had began on that day.**

 _(Gray, Leon and a cheering Happy watch while Lucy places a hand on Kobayashi's shoulder, smiling sympathetically at her.)_

 **Basically, normal had been thrown away.**

 _(Erza and Pastry irritably watch the dragon and Dragon Slayer fight, while Dori cuddles Kanna in her arms.)_

 **But now I'll open up the door ahead, I hear them**

 _(Palva pushes Natsu and Tohru away from one another, pointing to the mountaintops, suggesting a race for the three of them.)_

 **Ringing out with a sound that moves my soul! 'C'mon let's go!'**

 _(Natsu and Tohru grin at the idea of a race. The Dragon Slayers call the two cats to be their wings, while Tohru produces her dragon wings.)_

 **(Anywhere we want)**

 _(The three take off one at a time, shooting to the clouds.)_

 **I have the courage to become your wings! And I'll carry you into the light.**

 _(Natsu and Happy fly onto the screen first, soaring over the clouds, followed by Palva and Pastry, then Tohru. They shoot to the mountains, reaching the peak.)_

 **No matter what challenges life has to bring, I'll trust in our magic and fight!**

 _(They all stop when they look down in the darkened ground to see a Dark Guild hall of the Demise's Monarchy guild, with the three top guild members, along with their Guildmaster Kaliyah. Ready to fight, Natsu readies Fire Dragon's Roar, Palva readies Fire Dragon's Brilliant Talon, and Tohru charges up a ball of intense magical energy. The trio fire their attacks, while Kaliyah blasts with dark blue energy from her staff, causing an explosion.)_

 **With flowers in hand we will see the new world, and what wonders it has to behold!**

 _(Leon and Lucy protects Kobayashi against one of the top guild members, Xe, with Lucy readying Aquarius's Gate Key. Dori and Kanna use Crystal Barrage and a stream of electricity against Dexter, who dodges with his magic body. Gray and Erza, in Heaven's Wheel armor, use their magic against a heavily armored Ituha, who blocks their attacks with her shields.)_

 **With a union so perfect between you and me-**

 _(Under a darkened sky, Natsu, Palva and Tohru stand in the top of the guild hall barracks, glaring fiercely at Kaliyah, who smirks with a toothy grin.)_

 **We're no good with our communication, but no worries, it will be alright as long as tomorrow you're still by my side!**

 _(Natsu and Palva charge in, readying fiery fist and foot, to which Kaliyah blocked with her staff, pushing them back. Tohru leapt in, uppercutting their enemy into the air. She flipped around, creating a large magic circle, turning into a shadow of a great beast. Tohru turns into dragon form, with Natsu and Palva riding her, and the trio roar angrily at their opponent, creating shockwaves.)_

 **(music segment) Chu chu yeah!**

 _(Shifting scene. Inside a bar in Kyota Town, the team share drinks and laughter together, while Kobayashi goes on a drunken rant with a scared Tohru and Lucy, and Erza and Pastry share their favorite sweets together.)_

 **Without you!**

 _(Shifting scene. The team stands together in front of the Arcane Gate portal, with Natsu, Palva and Tohru standing center-front.)_

* * *

 **Surprise! The beginning of a new arc, the Burning Heart of a Dragon Maid arc. The crossover characters are from a comical anime series called Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Seriously it is one of the funniest things I've seen in 2017. Honestly, thinking about dragons like the characters from this series made me think what an awesome idea it would be for the dragon and Dragon Slayers to meet one another, and this was the resulted idea.**

 **Also, we have new bits of info on Dori, with her having an extreme and comical fondness for dolls and doll-like girls, like Kanna, who in my personal opinion is my favorite new anime girl of 2017. TOO CUTE! The other part is her being a good pianist and singer. Believe me, I plan to have a few moments of her showing this talents throughout the series.**

 **So for the next couple chapters, it's gonna be a big fight against the Demise's Monarchy guild vs. Fairy Tail & Team Kobayashi.**


	21. The Empress of Demise Appears!

**Previously on Fairy Tail:**

 _(Palva speaking)_ Out of one issue, and into the next! We ended up stuck in this town called Kyota, thanks to a supposed dragon damaging the rails. We discovered where the dragons came from. A portal appeared in the middle of town that morning, which my sis discovered was called an Arcane Gate. Apparently, it was a portal that bridged this world and another magical world together, and it lasted for twenty-four hours, at least in our world.

We went to find the dragons who came through the portal, and discovered three individuals named Kobayashi, Tohru, and Kanna. Turns out, the latter two were dragons, and Tohru mistaken Natsu and I's type of magic as saying that we actually killed dragons. We got into a big fight with one another, but my sis and the others stopped it. We managed to talk it out, and after a bit of drinking and music, we got along well. But I can tell that bad things are about to come our way…

* * *

 _(Cue 'Aozora no Rhapsody (Jayn's English Cover)')_

 _(/watch?v=wUEvpAwEzSc)_

 **Chu chu yeah!**

 _(Natsu and Palva enter in, looking up at the 'Burning Hearts of Fairies' logo)_

 **Please me!**

 _(The two look to the opposite side of the screen to see Tohru standing confidently with the 'Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid' logo over her.)_

 **Chu chu yeah!**

 _(Palva runs into the middle, leaping up and using flames to destroy the words 'Fairies' and 'Miss Kobayashi's', with the exception of an 'a', then using Fire Dragon's Whip to bring the remaining words together to form 'Burning Heart of a Dragon Maid', snatching the 's' from 'Hearts' in the process.)_

 **Without you!**

 _(Natsu and Tohru raise their hands in presentation of the title, then take off to either side, while Palva threw the 's' she caught like a boomerang, creating fire that covers the screen.)_

 **Ah, what is happening? There must have been a big mistake!**

 **Why suddenly I'm having t-t-t-trouble now?**

 _(The logo still displays as the fires disperse, while the background features the full view of Kyota Town, along with the shoreline, and the mountains and forest in the background.)_

 **Why, how is this happening? Can I run away from everything?**

 _(Palva and Natsu race along the streets, turning a corner, bumping into Tohru, causing the trio to fall on the ground.)_

 **But, here in the craziness, I can feel it coming whimsically**

 **And I let myself get carried away!**

 _(They sat up, looking at one another. Then Natsu and Tohru angrily pushed their fiery fists and dragon taloned hands against one another, with Palva sighing in bemusement.)_

 **That's the way things had began on that day.**

 _(Gray, Leon and a cheering Happy watch while Lucy places a hand on Kobayashi's shoulder, smiling sympathetically at her.)_

 **Basically, normal had been thrown away.**

 _(Erza and Pastry irritably watch the dragon and Dragon Slayer fight, while Dori cuddles Kanna in her arms.)_

 **But now I'll open up the door ahead, I hear them**

 _(Palva pushes Natsu and Tohru away from one another, pointing to the mountaintops, suggesting a race for the three of them.)_

 **Ringing out with a sound that moves my soul! 'C'mon let's go!'**

 _(Natsu and Tohru grin at the idea of a race. The Dragon Slayers call the two cats to be their wings, while Tohru produces her dragon wings.)_

 **(Anywhere we want)**

 _(The three take off one at a time, shooting to the clouds.)_

 **I have the courage to become your wings! And I'll carry you into the light.**

 _(Natsu and Happy fly onto the screen first, soaring over the clouds, followed by Palva and Pastry, then Tohru. They shoot to the mountains, reaching the peak.)_

 **No matter what challenges life has to bring, I'll trust in our magic and fight!**

 _(They all stop when they look down in the darkened ground to see a Dark Guild hall of the Demise's Monarchy guild, with the three top guild members, along with their Guildmaster Kaliyah. Ready to fight, Natsu readies Fire Dragon's Roar, Palva readies Fire Dragon's Brilliant Talon, and Tohru charges up a ball of intense magical energy. The trio fire their attacks, while Kaliyah blasts with dark blue energy from her staff, causing an explosion.)_

 **With flowers in hand we will see the new world, and what wonders it has to behold!**

 _(Leon and Lucy protects Kobayashi against one of the top guild members, Xe, with Lucy readying Aquarius's Gate Key. Dori and Kanna use Crystal Barrage and a stream of electricity against Dexter, who dodges with his magic body. Gray and Erza, in Heaven's Wheel armor, use their magic against a heavily armored Ituha, who blocks their attacks with her shields.)_

 **With a union so perfect between you and me-**

 _(Under a darkened sky, Natsu, Palva and Tohru stand in the top of the guild hall barracks, glaring fiercely at Kaliyah, who smirks with a toothy grin.)_

 **We're no good with our communication, but no worries, it will be alright as long as tomorrow you're still by my side!**

 _(Natsu and Palva charge in, readying fiery fist and foot, to which Kaliyah blocked with her staff, pushing them back. Tohru leapt in, uppercutting their enemy into the air. She flipped around, creating a large magic circle, turning into a shadow of a great beast. Tohru turns into dragon form, with Natsu and Palva riding her, and the trio roar angrily at their opponent, creating shockwaves.)_

 **(music segment) Chu chu yeah!**

 _(Shifting scene. Inside a bar in Kyota Town, the team share drinks and laughter together, while Kobayashi goes on a drunken rant with a scared Tohru and Lucy, and Erza and Pastry share their favorite sweets together.)_

 **Without you!**

 _(Shifting scene. The team stands together in front of the Arcane Gate portal, with Natsu, Palva and Tohru standing center-front.)_

* * *

Inside the tavern where the Fairy Tail mages and otherworlders were at, Lucy shouted, " **Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!** " With a swipe of her key, she summoned out the said Celestial Spirit to her side. She bowed to her as she asked Lucy, "Is there something you wish from me, Princess?"

Kobayashi, now sobered up, was blushing at the sight of her. "Wow! You really do have a maid on you. And her attire is clearly not cosplay, either…well, except for those chains on her arms."

A minute ago, Leon gave Kobayashi a pill that was made for sobering people up. Afterwards, Lucy asked if she wanted to meet Virgo, who was also a maid.

A disgruntled Tohru looked at Virgo as she muttered, "Well, she does have the formal black and white to her. Still, what is with those chains?"

Virgo looked to Lucy as she asked, "Princess, may I ask why you asked me to meet these two? Is this a form of punishment?"

"No, not at all!" Lucy responded hastily, "Miss Kobayashi was interested in maids, so I wanted to introduce you to her!"

"Most likely, the chains are a form of weapon for her in combat." Leon assumed, sitting right next to them, "However, she is quite skilled in Earth magic, specifically making holes."

"By the way, you said her name was Virgo, right?" Kobayashi asked Lucy, "As in one of the twelve Zodiac signs?"

"Right! I didn't know they were known in another world!" Lucy said in surprise.

"They really are more used in people's horoscopes and such." Kobayashi pointed out, "I guess there are actual characters in this world."

"So if you are a maid for this human, what do you do for her?" Tohru asked Virgo.

"Naturally, I make sure to come to her aid whenever she calls me." the Celestial Spirit answered, "I do whatever she asks me to do, and I even dress her when she needs a change of clothes. In return, she does punish me."

Tohru and Kobayashi looked startled at that last sentence while Lucy barked, "That's not true at all! Stop saying that!"

"Wh-what kind of torture are you talking about?" Tohru asked, hesitating.

"Well, here are some of my favorite ones…" Virgo began whispering some examples in Tohru's ear, and the dragon maid started to get flushed and startled at what she was hearing.

"I have a really bad feeling about this…" Kobayashi muttered to Lucy and Leon.

Finally, when Virgo was done telling her favorite punishments, Tohru looked at her and asked, "Y-You enjoy that?!" She collapsed to her hands and knees, shaking as she muttered, "To think such vulgar things would be done to you. All I ever try and do is get Miss Kobayashi's love and praise for me and my maidom. True, she yells at me when I get out of hand, but compared to what you said…" She stood up quickly with a sort of demented look in her eyes as she finished, "…I can see I haven't done enough! I must require punishment in a similar manner on a daily basis from Miss Kobayashi, so as to please her even further! I will make sure this happens!"

She grasped Virgo's hands as she said, "Thank you for opening my eyes, Virgo! I will take up your advice for myself as well!"

"The pleasure is all mine." Virgo responded, "We must strive to make our masters happy, and for that, we must require punishment."

While the two 'maids' were sharing their conviction for their master's punishment onto them, Lucy, Leon and Kobayashi were looking with sweat-dropped expression at the two. "Great, now Tohru's gonna be more of a problem than usual." the latter muttered.

"I think I might've stirred up a storm by bringing Virgo here. Sorry…" the Celestial mage apologized.

"How did it escalate to this?" Leon asked in confusion.

Meanwhile, at another table, Dori formed an orb of lightning lacrima the size of a baseball, and gave it to Kanna, who looked in awe at the crystal. "You like it?" Dori asked, smiling sweetly at the little dragon girl. Earlier, she had learned that Kanna had an affinity with electricity, so she decided to show her what lightning magic looked like in their world.

"It's very different to the magic in my world." Kanna compared.

"Can magic take on a crystalized form like that in your world?" Palva asked, while Natsu and Happy stuffed their faces full of food. Kanna shook her head in response to this.

"Well, you can keep it, if you want?" Dori assured her, "You can use it however you-." Before she even finished, the young dragon girl suddenly opened wide and ate the lacrima in one gulp. The others were completely startled at this, while Dori was scared of what might happen to Kanna. After she swallowed it, Kanna's body emitted electricity that shocked all around her, then it died down.

"Are…you okay?" Dori asked, hesitantly.

"Just a little tingly." Kanna answered nonchalantly, causing the others around her to comically fall over, with the exception of Natsu.

"Man, you scared the crap out of me!" Palva muttered, getting back onto her chair, "A girl can electrocute themselves by doing that."

"Why? She's a lightning dragon, right?" Natsu asked through a mouthful of meat, "She can just eat lightning, like I can eat fire."

"Reminder that she's from another world." Dori reminded him, "I didn't think the same logic would work in their world as it does here. I'm just relieved she's okay."

At another table, the rest of the Fairy Tail mages, being that of Erza, Gray and Pastry, watched the others with amusement. "Seems like they're all getting along well." Erza stated.

"I almost think they forgotten that these guys have to go into that Arcane Gate at some point." Gray assumed.

"According to Dori's timer lacrima, we just have about fourteen hours remaining." Pastry looked at the said lacrima in his hands.

"We'd probably need to look for a place if we're staying the night here." Erza suggested. Gray and Pastry both agreed to this.

Just then, the door to the bar was kicked open, drawing the attention of the mages and the otherworlders. Three guys came into the bar, grinning and chuckling, acting as if they owned the place. They were dressed in standard attire, and based on what Dori noticed, she could see guild marks on different parts of their bodies. They all were the same one, with a dragon eating a crown. _'Guild mages.'_ she realized.

"Hey, barkeep! Give us some drinks would ya?!" the head of the group called out.

"Yeah, we're starvin', too." the bald, muscular one added.

"Y-Yes, sirs! Right away!" the barkeeper hesitantly answered, frantically racing about the bar to get what they wanted.

"Who the heck are they?" Kobayashi whispered, "They look pretty tough."

"Based on those marks, they probably belong to a guild." Lucy answered quietly, "Let's hope Natsu doesn't cause any trouble."

"I think Dori has ahold of the situation." Leon assured them, and they barely noticed that the said crystal mage had just used her crystal magic to cement the Fire Dragon Slayers's feet to the ground, preventing Natsu or Palva from moving.

"They weren't the ones I was worried about…" Kobayashi muttered, looking to the one she was most concerned about; Tohru, who glared at the trio of mages. Virgo was patiently waiting next to her.

The shortest of the group suddenly noticed the crowd nearby them, and looked about. "Hey, looks like we got a few fresh faces around here." he chuckled, "Look! There're even a pair of maids to boot!"

"Hey, barkeep! Didn't know you got sexy new hires here." the head of the group told the owner.

"Excuse us, but we don't actually work here." Virgo corrected them.

"Besides, I only serve Miss Kobayashi and no one else. As a maid and more!" Tohru stated.

"Do I even need to ask what 'more' means?" Kobayashi questioned.

"Seriously?" the bald mage asked, looking to Tohru's said master, "You serve this dead-fish eye woman? She doesn't look like a noble, let alone anyone who could afford a maid."

"She doesn't even look like a woman!" the short mage added, causing the trio to laugh.

"Why you…!" Tohru sneered, about to take a step forward, only for Kobayashi to call out her name. "There's no need to get violent, okay?" she assured her maid, "Besides, it's not like I'm use to stuff like that."

"At least you keep your cool, unlike some." Lucy chuckled, looking to Natsu, who was gritting his teeth, while Dori chose to crystalize his body all the way up to his waist.

"Hey, maybe you should find better company to work with." the head mage stated, walking over to Tohru and Virgo, "Our master wouldn't mind the extra cleanup." As his buddies went to Virgo, he reached out to Tohru as he whispered seductively, "Plus, I can make sure you are in good company…"

Just then, Tohru snatched his wrist before his hand touched her hair, giving him a warning glare. The head mage smirked, ready to shrug off her hand, only to find her grip tighten painfully, almost crushing. Virgo also had the two mages near her at her mercy, grasping them by the arms painfully.

"I do believe these people deserve punishment." she stated, her eyes flashing red.

"Agreed." Tohru growled, her teeth suddenly becoming sharp and carnivorous, like a dragon.

The head mage looked petrified. Lucy and Leon looked nervous. The rest of the Fairy Tail mages looked on with concern or wonder. "This won't end well." Kobayashi muttered.

What happened only took a couple seconds, but the citizens outside were abruptly awakened as the three mages shot out of the bar through the walls, landing in the streets outside. They splayed all over the ground, their pupils vanished as they were knocked unconscious. The two 'maids' inside stood in front of the others, with Tohru stretching her fingers and arms out. "That takes care of that mess." she sighed, while Kobayashi looked petrified at her actions.

"Maybe I should've kept HER in place, along with Natsu." Dori muttered with a sweat-dropped expression, while Natsu looked amazed and annoyed that he didn't get a chance to sock it to them.

"Virgo, why did you do that?!" Lucy demanded to her spirit.

"Do I deserve punishment, Princess?" Virgo asked, sort of eagerly.

"No, I need you to leave, now!" she responded, waving her key and making Virgo vanish.

As everyone outside gathered to see who was sent flying, Erza, Gray and Pastry couldn't help but notice how scared the bar owner was. It wasn't the kind of fear that came from noticing the strength from someone. More it was the kind of fear shown that the people who did the attacking screwed up.

"Is there something wrong?" Erza asked him.

"Wh-what have you done?" he asked them in a panicked tone, "When those guys go report to their boss, we'll all be dead!"

"What do you mean?" Gray asked, as the crowd of citizens outside started speaking up in fear. All of them had similar words of fear and panic like the bar owner.

"What's the deal? Is their guild that bad?" Palva asked, looking to the others to see if they had any clues.

"Those guys you just sent flying belong to the Demise's Monarchy guild!" the bar owner exclaimed, "They are a seriously dangerous group!"

"Demise's Monarchy?" Tohru asked, questioning the name itself.

"I've never heard of them before." Lucy muttered.

"Same here." Dori agreed.

"I'm not surprised, since anyone who attempted to leak out their guild ended up dead!" the bar owner explained, "They have eyes and ears everywhere in this town. They suddenly appeared here twenty years ago, claiming this town as their own and a way to cover themselves from the outside world."

"You were never able to get help from anyone outside the town?" Erza asked, surprised they didn't think of a way to warn someone in such a long time.

"They inspect any mail that leaves or enters the Kyota, and have magic barriers to prevent us from communicating via lacrima or telepathy. And as I said before, they have eyes and ears everywhere, so if anyone even attempts to leave to deliver a message, they would know. We've been living our lives in constant fear because of them."

The Fairy Tail mages and the otherworlders looked at one another. Clearly, these people were a dark guild, and a fairly smart one at that to cover any traces that they were in this vicinity. This drew more questions as well as concerns, like why would they want to keep their identity a secret like this for twenty? What were they planning?

"I can tell you guys are mages, but even you don't stand a chance against them, especially their master." the barkeeper told them, "If I were you, I'd get out of this town before they come and find you."

"A bit too late for that now." Dori sighed as the team gathered together.

"Besides, if they are a dark guild that have caused this much fear to your populace, then we must take action." Erza told the barkeeper, causing him to be afraid, "Where do they reside at?"

"You really plan to go after these guys?" Kobayashi asked.

"Course we will!" Natsu answered her, drawing her attention, "After all, we're Fairy Tail mages, and we never back away from a fight like this!"

"Aye sir!" Happy agreed.

"If they don't want to be found out, then we'll just have to make a big enough explosion for them to be seen." Palva stated, slamming the bottom of her naginata-like Dragonic Fang on the ground, forming sparks.

Leon looked to Tohru and asked, "What are you gonna do? Wanna come with us?"

"Heck, yeah!" Tohru answered, giving a fist pump, "It's been a while since I spread my wings and lay waste to some pesky humans! They won't know what hit them when they see a dragon blow them away in one go!"

"Are you sure?" Kobayashi asked, slightly worried, "They are different from the world you and I are from. Plus, we have to go back through that portal before time runs out."

"Don't worry. We have more than half the day to get back there!" Tohru assured her, "Come on, Kanna! Miss Kobayashi, come along, too!"

"Sure. Why not?" Kobayashi answered, slightly bemused at her maid's enthusiasm.

"Well, I can't stop you guys from trying. I can only warn you." the barkeeper warned them, "The Demise's Monarchy guild resides in the mountains close by. They have a fair amount of mages on their side, but their most lethal members are the three commanding officers and their guild master, who's magic is more powerful than anything I've ever seen!"

"Is he that tough?" Natsu asked.

"Actually, their master is a woman. She claims to have the powers no human could ever possibly imagine, and based on the fact that she wiped out all the mages we had in one shot, I don't deny her claim."

"Every mage you had was struck down in one hit from this chick?!" Gray asked, surprised.

"Suddenly, I feel like I might just be better off here." Lucy whimpered.

"Well, they ain't ever faced a guild like Fairy Tail!" Natsu declared, racing out the hold in the wall, "Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy answered, producing his wings and grabbing Natsu by the back, carrying him into the sky.

"Natsu!" Lucy called out.

"That idiot should wait for all of us to go after him!" Gray growled.

"I'll go after him!" Palva assured the others, "Pastry, give me a lift!"

"Roger that!" the ginger cat answered, grabbing Palva and carrying her after Natsu and Happy.

"No way I'll let you guys steal all the fun!" Tohru declared, producing her dragon wings and tail, and flying right after them.

"Tohru!" Kobayashi cried out, but it was too late. She and the Dragon Slayers have left.

"Let's go after them, now!" Leon told the team, turning to the petite dragon girl with them, "Kanna, help us out." She looked back at him with a blank expression, but understood nevertheless.

* * *

Up in the air, Natsu, Palva, Tohru and the cats all soared towards the mountains as fast as they could. "Those filthy humans better say their prayers, though not even the gods will save them now!" Tohru growled.

"There are gods in your world?!" Palva asked, surprised at this new fact, "Jeez, I really wonder what your world is like."

"You do seem a bit aggravated, Tohru." Pastry pointed out.

"How can I not?! They disrespected Miss Kobayashi, my maidom, and even their name is a crime!"

"How so?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Yeah, Demise's Monarchy is a cool name, but how is it a crime?" Happy asked.

"Oh, yeah, I never told you. See, my father is also known as the King of Demise." Tohru explained, getting shocked looks from the four with her, "I don't get along completely well with him, what with him hating Miss Kobayashi and me living amongst humans, but that doesn't mean I will allow someone to be called a monarchy of demise!"

"Wow. And here I thought Natsu's father being a dragon was amazing." Happy stated.

"Yeah, but I betcha Igneel would beat your dad any day of the week!" Natsu stated with a cheeky grin.

"Is that a challenge?" Tohru asked with a small warning glint in her eye.

"Guys, can we focus on the big issue here?!" Palva demanded to the two, then under her breath she added, "I'm the youngest, so why am I babysitting them?"

"Guys, I see it!" Pastry told the team, drawing the attention of the others. In a large gaping chasm in the mountains, there was a small stone castle, and based on the flags and banners on them, it was definitely the guild hall of the Demise's Monarchy guild.

"That's got to be their guild hall!" Happy stated.

"Let's go trash the place!" Natsu declared, hammering his fists together.

"There's no need to even go down there, guys." Tohru snickered, "Stupid inferiors. Have you forgotten I'm a dragon? Watch this…"

The two mages and their cats kept their distance as Tohru suddenly grew fangs and her eyes became more dragonic as she opened her mouth, creating a large ball of energy. She then fired down at the guild hall with a powerful blast, intending to destroy all that resided in there.

In the throne room of the guild hall, the guild master sensed the oncoming attack. "Pathetic…" she muttered, standing up and raising her staff. Outside, a large blue magic circle suddenly appeared, shielding the castle from harm as Tohru's attack, canceling it altogether.

"What?!" Palva gasped as the five airborne heroes were startled at this sudden protection magic.

"How is this possible?! They managed to block my attack?!" Tohru questioned in surprise.

"Not only that, they sensed it coming." Pastry added, "That attack was not slow, either. They must have good magic detection skills. Better than even Dori's."

"Then I guess it's time for good ol' plan T!" Natsu declared, with Happy aye-ing in agreement.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what is plan T?" Palva asked in a bemused tone.

"Take 'em by storm!" Natsu shouted, and Happy dove him down at the guild hall.

"I like that plan!" Tohru declared, diving down behind Natsu.

"Hey, wait up!" Palva shouted as she and Pastry following last.

The five of them took off towards the front gate of the guild hall, with Natsu readying his fist and coating them in flames. His battle cry echoed throughout the vicinity as he charged in, readying to break down the withdrawn drawbridge.

" **Black Geyser!** " shouted a voice, and Natsu looked down at the moat beneath him to see a geyser of water shoot up and him and Happy, sending them spinning upwards before falling back down to the ground. Tohru and Palva halted in their tracks, startled at the surprise attack. Natsu caught himself in midair and landed on his feet, while Happy shook his fur of the water that struck them.

"Who did that?!" Pastry demanded.

"The person in the water, that's what!" Palva answered, looking at the still-going geyser to see someone spiral up to the top, flipping about and landing in a standing position on the water.

"Careful now. We just finished rebuilding that drawbridge." he told them with a smirk.

"He's different from the other wizards in my world." Tohru muttered.

"Who the hell are you?!" Natsu demanded angrily.

"The question you should ask is 'Who are you?'." the man corrected Natsu, "There's no need to add 'the hell' into that sentence. It makes it too long!"

"Just answer my question, would ya?!" Natsu barked angrily, stomping his feet in a tantrum.

"Even adding 'would ya', when there was no need. Why draw out your sentences?" the man sighed, "I, Black-Water Xe, shall put an end to your endless chatter!" He backflipped off the column of water as it curved about and launched at Natsu and Happy. However, the attack was stopped by Tohru's interference, as with a single kick, she diminished the water.

"Oh…very impressive." Xe muttered, raising his hands as he shouted, " **Black Tsunami!** " he summoned a tidal wave of black water from beneath him, sending it at Tohru, who opened her mouth and unleashed a blast of flames that countered the attack. The flames diminished in its' wake, and Tohru got swept away by the water.

Pastry got Palva over the attack as she shouted, " **Fire Dragon's Pounce!** " Pastry detached the Dragon Slayer girl as she shot herself at Xe. The Black-Water mage did a spin dodge in midair, avoiding her attack, then with a whip of his hand, he sent a column of water snake at her. Palva spun, planting her feet on the wall of the guild hall, but looked up to get hit full on by Xe's attack. She couldn't even breath as the water pressed her against the wall, preventing her from moving.

Xe smirked, then felt pain from the back of his head as Natsu slugged him with a fiery fist, shouting, "Back off!" He fell into the water, and his attack on Palva ended, making her limply fall into the water, as well.

"Palva!" Natsu shouted as he and the others raced toward where Palva fell, seeing her pop out of the water, gasping for air. "Geez, that was too close…" she moaned, "Thanks for the save, Natsu." Pastry pulled her out of the water, while Tohru, still on the shores of the moat, shook herself of the water that got on her from the previous attack.

" **Black Geyser!** " shouted Xe's voice again. The four over the water darted out of the way, avoiding the column of water that shout up at them. More geysers kept shooting up at them, but Pastry and Happy darted about the area, avoiding the attacks as they came at them. They tried to escape the moat's area, only to be blocked off by more of Xe's water.

"We can't escape!" Happy exclaimed, swerving left and right to avoid a pair of geysers.

Palva tried to cut an oncoming geyser with a swipe of her Fire Dragon Talon, only for her flames to be instantly diminished and her body kicked up into a midair backflip thanks to the geyser's force on her foot. "Crap, our flames are of no help here!" she grimaced.

Tohru looked at the situation the Dragon Slayers were in, and growled, "This is why dragons are better than humans like you guys. Let me handle this!" She darted at the water, unleashing an axe kick on the water's surface. It was as if she was reenacting Moses parting the Red Sea, as the water split down the middle, displaying the floor of the moat, as well as Xe, who was surprised at what had just happened. "Found you!" Tohru sneered, opening her mouth and unleashing a blast of energy at Xe.

The mage hastily reacted by diving away from the attack, avoiding the head on explosion, but getting caught in the shockwave. He was sent tumbling upwards into the air, only for Tohru to meet him and unleash and downward fist that sent him rocketing into the moat, creating as explosion of water that splashed everywhere. Natsu and Palva were shocked and amazed at the amount of strength that was delivered by Tohru.

The mages and the cats all came back to the shoreline of the moat, with Palva saying, "You really saved our bacon there, Tohru. Thanks a bunch!"

"It was no problem." Tohru responded, puffing out her chest and looking proud at the compliment.

"That guy's magic made Natsu and Palva's fire useless." Happy pointed out, "Glad he was down for the count."

"Sucks that I couldn't finish him off, but I guess that's what happens when he deals with dragons and slayers." Natsu stated.

"Guys!" shouted Lucy's voice from above. They looked up to see Kanna in dragon form, with everyone else riding on her back as they descended down towards them. They all got off the white-feathered dragon's back, and approach the team as Kanna reverted to her human form.

"Glad to see you waited for us before storming the Dark Guild." Leon told them.

"That wasn't it. We were dealing with a mage in the water." Pastry explained.

"But there was no need to worry, cause I took care of him!" Tohru confidently finished, punching the air in excitement.

"Good work, Tohru." Kobayashi stated, patting her on the head, making the dragon maid giggle and blush, "But maybe we should just leave this to these guys. We should probably head back before something dangerous happens…"

"Come on, you worry to much, Miss Kobayashi!" Tohru retorted, "I can easily best all these guys by myself, if I have to."

"Don't be too sure!" echoed a voice from the water, drawing everyone's attention. Water shot upwards as Xe rose up, sitting on a column of water, with a bruise to his head where Tohru hit him.

"He's still alive?!" Tohru gasped, "But that would've killed any human in my world!"

"Unfortunate for you, we mages of the Demise's Monarchy guild are tougher than any human of your world." Xe stated, "Though I gotta admit, that did hurt like hell. As expected from someone of your title, Second Daughter of Demise."

Tohru eyes widened at the title she was given. "The hell are you talking about?" Natsu questioned, "Second Daughter?"

"Tohru?" Kobayashi questioned her 'maid'.

"How do you know that I am the second daughter of my father?!" Tohru questioned, then she came to a realization, and added, "Don't tell me…you know 'her'?"

"If you mean our guild master, the true Empress of Demise, then yes." Xe snickered, "She was very eager to meet you again."

"What is he talking about?" Erza asked, standing next to Gray, Kanna and Dori.

Tohru didn't answer at once, but she looked down, gritting her teeth as she growled a name under her breath. "Kaliyah…"

"Kaliyah?" Kobayashi echoed, wondering who this new name was.

"Enough words!" Xe shouted, unleashing more pillars of water, "The Demise's Monarchy's Guild Master hereby challenges you to war, Second Daughter! The same for those who fight with you here!" He unleashed the pillars at the group, who dispersed before getting hit by it. Kobayashi was dragged along by Gray, as she was the most vulnerable person there.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " Natsu shouted, unleashing a breath attack at Xe, only for him to summon a pillar of black water to completely nullify the attack.

"Black Water magic can never be bested by flames, even ones as powerful as yours." he stated, " **Black Coil!** " A black stream of water shot out, spiraling about Natsu's body, binding him in midair. The head of the stream then consumed his head, making him struggle as he held his breath inside the watery bind.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out.

"Gray, freeze that water!" Erza ordered the Ice mage.

"You got it!" Gray answered, leaping towards Natsu as he stated, "Do I always have to save your butt, Natsu?!" He placed his hands on the coil of water, using his Ice-Make magic to freeze the water. However, to his surprise, the water didn't even freeze. "What gives? I can't freeze the water?"

A geyser of water shot at Gray, pushing him away from Natsu and curving him to the ground, slamming him onto his back. The water continued to pressure him, just like it did with Palva, preventing him from moving. "Fire and ice have no effect on my water." Xe stated with a sinister grin, "Drown in silence."

"That won't work!" Dori shouted, "Leon, slash the water, now!"

"Okay!" Leon shouted, pulling out his greatsword, and jumping at the two water-bound mages. With several slashes, he slashed the water that held Natsu and Gray, freeing them and allowing them to breath again. Gray shook his head, while Natsu coughed out any water that he swallowed.

"I read about this kind of magic." Dori explained, "Black Water magic is unique, as the user of it utilizes black magic to create water that has a stronger density than normal water, and one that cannot change temperature or change into ice or steam, making fire and ice magic useless against it."

"How do you know this?" Lucy asked her, surprised at her knowledge on the magic their opponent used.

"It is a powerful form of water-based magic, and I was thinking in the past to learn it if Palva's flames got too out of control. However, it requires someone with a dark mindset to utilize it, so I diminished the idea."

"Yeah, you are pretty OP as you are right now." Palva assured her, avoiding a column of water that came down at her.

"Do you ever cease your idle chitchat?!" Xe demanded, unleashing a tidal wave of black water at the team, who dodged out of the way, with Erza dragging Miss Kobayashi behind her.

" **Requip!** " the scarlet swordswoman shouted, entering into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, then to Kobayashi she stated, "Listen, you should get back to town. We cannot allow you to get involved in a battle like this!"

"I was starting to feel the same thing." Kobayashi agreed, "True, I've seen Tohru fight, and ended up being close to the action, but this…" She watched at Leon slashed a pillar of water down the middle with his Aegis Blade, only for another to appear and slam him away.

Gray used an Ice-Make Sword to slash the one shoving Leon, holding it in both hands for any others to come at him and his guildmates. "We don't have time to stand around and fight him! We gotta go inside and get to their guild master!" he shouted at the others.

"Agreed! Let's bust down that drawbridge!" Dori ordered the team.

"I don't think so!" Xe shouted, creating more pillars of water around the drawbridge, producing a barrier that prevented the team from getting through.

"Well, that's brilliant!" Pastry spat, "How'll we get in there, now?!"

"Kanna!" Tohru shouted to the petite dragon girl, who nodded in response. She made a tremendous leap, charging up a ball of electric energy in her hands. She then blasted it down at the pillars surrounding the drawbridge, destroying them entirely. While Xe was stunned by this easy destruction of his magic, Dori pulled out her magic crossbow and blasted two shots at the chains holding the drawbridge up, causing it to fall and land at their feet.

"I'll stay here with Kobayashi and fight him!" Leon told the team, "You go in and take on their guild master!"

"We're counting on you." Erza responded, "Everyone, let's go!"

"Right!" they all responded, charging along the drawbridge towards the front gate.

"No you don't! **Black Geyser Field**!" Xe slammed his palms on the water, creating a field of black water geysers that drew closer to the team. He was attempting to break the bridge they were on.

"Hurry!" Dori cried out, reaching the gate first and waving everyone over. The geysers starts popping out from underneath the bridge as Palva, Lucy and Gray were reaching the midway part. Suddenly, a large geyser fully shattered the center of the bridge, breaking it in half. Gray and Palva were jettisoned over to the others heading into the castle, but Lucy was not too fortunate. She screamed as she was sent flying backwards, landing on the shores of the moat as the bridge sank into the water.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted to her, worrying for her safety.

"I-I'm okay!" she answered, "You guys go on ahead!"

"Don't worry about her. She's a tough girl." Dori assured Natsu, "She can help Leon with defeating Xe and protecting Kobayashi, so let's get moving!" Natsu nodded in understanding, and the two raced after the others, leaving the two mages and otherworlder alone outside with Xe, who grimaced at how things turned out.

"Crap… Now I destroyed the drawbridge." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head, "Not only that, but I couldn't stop those stupid mages from getting in. Guess I'll have to deal with the remainder of your fools instead!"

"For someone who prefers less words, you talk too much." Leon pointed out as Lucy came to his side, pulling out her whip.

"Shut it! It's because people talk too much that I speak this much!" Xe barked.

"Then why don't you go along with the old saying, and take the plank out of your eye before dealing with the splinter in another?" Leon questioned, readying his blade.

"Enough talk!" Xe barked, ignoring Leon's suggestion as he prepared a dark blue magic circle underneath him, "I'll drown the lot of you inside my Black-Water magic."

"Bring it!" Leon roared, using Requip to enter into his Swift Armor.

"I'll give it my all, as well!" Lucy declared, readying a key, " **Open: Gate of the Archer: Sagittarius!** " She summoned out her horse-dressed man to her side, saluting upon arrival. "Howdy-doo, ma'am!" he stated.

Kobayashi stood behind a tree closest to the two, staring frightfully at the battle that was about to take place. "This is bad…" she muttered, "Why did I even come along? I don't even know what to do…" Unbeknownst to her, someone else was nearby, lowering himself from the trees. A spindly man who grinned mischievously.

* * *

Inside, several mages tried to get in the way of the Fairy Tail mages and the dragon girls, only to be blasted away by the sheer power they had. "We don't have time for small-fries like these!" Natsu growled as they ran, "Let's head straight to the guild master of this place and beat her up!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed, "But do you know where she is?"

"She should smell a lot like me." Tohru told them, "If we follow her scent, we should reach her."

"And how do you know this?" Palva asked, catching up to her side, "Based on what that swimmer guy said, it seems like you have a connection to this guild master."

"But how can that be?" Erza asked, "You are from an entirely different world. How could you have a connection with someone here?"

Tohru slowly came to a halt, causing the others to do the same. Finally she answered, "Because Kaliyah was exiled to this world by my father. She's my older sister."

The news startled the team in surprise, with the exception of Kanna. "You have an older sister?!" Dori repeated, "And she's the guild master here?!"

"So there was another dragon in this place, and we didn't even know?!" Natsu questioned.

"She was exiled from my world eight years ago by my father after she caused the death of many dragons." Tohru explained, looking sadly down at Kanna as she added, "Kanna's uncle was among those that died. I guess this was the world she ended up getting sent to."

"Hold on." Pastry muttered, "I only spent a minute in your world, and almost a half hour went passed in this one."

"According to the timer lacrima, exactly twenty-nine minutes and fifteen seconds." Dori corrected him, breaking the fourth wall and entering into a professor's outfit, holding a black marker with a whiteboard, "And considering that, after speaking with Kanna, we have the same amount of days in the year, that would mean the same amount of time can be put into years, meaning one year in their world equals twenty nine years and three months in ours. So if we multiply that by eight, we get…234 years. Class dismissed!"

"Hey, that's my shtick!" Happy exclaimed to Dori, entering with a professor attire.

"How can someone live that long?!" Palva exclaimed, ignoring the fourth wall break, "She has to be an old hag, by now!"

"Hey, I'm much older than that!" Tohru argued, "Taliyah was sixty-six years older than me when she left, so I guess she must be…three hundred years older now. She must be a young adult by dragon standards."

"Seriously?! Dragons live that long?!" Gray questioned in shock.

"That doesn't surprise me." Natsu stated, "I can't even remember how old Igneel was. I do remember feeling pain when I found out…" He could barely recall getting slammed into the side of a cliff after asking, but didn't know why he was sent flying into it in the first place.

"Let's just keep moving. We gotta stop Kaliyah, no matter what!" Tohru argued.

The team had just started to proceed when they stopped at the sight of a heavily-armored woman, standing in the middle of the hallway. "I heard that we were in the presence of the Second Daughter of Demise, along with a group of foolish mages who barged in without warning." she stated, "I thought Xe was able to get rid of all of you, but most of you seemed to have entered into this place. That oaf still doesn't know how to be a proper guard."

"Who the hell are you?!" Natsu demanded to her.

"Oh, forgive me. You should know the woman who bests the lot of you on this day." she stated, "I am Ituha, the Armored Beauty. I have fought 2,222 battles without the slightest crack to my armor. No weapon or spell is able to penetrate this armor, you can be sure of that!"

"So a defense-style combatant." Dori muttered as the team readied to fight, "Leon would do well figuring out the weakness in this woman's armor."

At this, Ituha laughed haughtily. "A weakness? What weakness?! There isn't a single man, woman or child who has found a way to penetrate my armor. Why should any of you be different?" She took a step forward, and her feet made the floor quake a bit.

"What the heck?! She made the ground shake with a single step?!" Natsu questioned.

"Man, just how much does that armor weigh?" Gray asked, "I'm surprised she can move with all that weighing her down!"

These words suddenly formed a tick mark on Ituha's forehead. The anger that she was starting to emanate caught the attention of the team. "Heavy?" she questioned, "Weighing me down? ARE YOU SAYING I AM OVERWEIGHT?!" She glared at them with a demented expression.

"Wait, what?!" Palva questioned, not sure how she ended up going to that accusation.

"We didn't say anything like that!" Happy retorted.

"He's right! We only said that armor you're wearing is pretty bulky!" Pastry corrected.

"OH, SO YOU'RE SAYING THIS ARMOR MAKES ME LOOK FAT?!" Ituha barked angrily, "IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY?!"

"Not even close…" the cats sighed.

"Are all the humans in your world this quick to judge?" Tohru asked Natsu and Palva.

"No, I think it's just her." Natsu and Palva simultaneously answered.

"I will pummel you all until you learn not to call me fat!" Ituha roared, and she made a leaping dash in a surprisingly nimble manner. She raised one of her half-shields, ready to slam it at the team. However, before she got close, Erza came in and blocked the attack with her blade. The shockwave that followed sent the others flying backwards, while Erza held her ground to the best of her ability. After a few seconds of the two woman pushing against one another, the Fairy Tail mage shoved Ituha away, causing her to land on the ground aways from them.

"I shall deal with this woman." Erza told the team, "Everyone, go on ahead!"

"She plans to use mages to slow me down? Is Taliyah even taking me seriously?!" Tohru demanded, transforming one of her arms into a dragon claw.

"No! You should save your strength for your sister!" Dori argued, waving a hand to her, "Trust me, you are gonna need your strength for her, so let Erza fight her!" Tohru, along with the rest of the team, was slightly startled at her sudden caution, especially considering how tough Tohru was. Did she know something the others didn't?

Dori then turned to Gray and added, "Stay here and help her. Your ice magic should be able to help her."

"Erza should be fine. I can come with you." Gray retorted.

"No!" Dori barked, startling him, "Trust me, your ice magic, mixed with one of her armors, will be able to break that armor of that woman." With that, she led Natsu, Palva, Tohru, Kanna and the cats onward, leaving Gray perplexed at this. _'One of Erza's armors with my ice will break this woman's armor?'_ he questioned.

As they passed the fight, Ituha noticed the mages and dragons passing, and barked, "No you don't!" She doubled back from Erza and leapt past her, aiming to slam her shield at the group. Erza looked startled, worried for the teams safety. However, Tohru dove in front of her, and countered the shield attack with a single hand.

"That armor and your strength is no match for that of a dragon!" she growled, ready to attack.

"Tohru, what did I say?!" Dori barked at her, using a magic circle, and using Crystal Launcher at Ituha's feet to send her rocketing back toward the other side of the hallway where Erza and Gray were, "Save your strength! Leave it to them!"

"Oh, come on! Why are you so paranoid with me doing anything?!" Tohru demanded angrily, chasing after her.

"Wonder why Dori is acting so cautiously right now?" Gray asked, extremely curious on the Crystal Mage's behavior.

"If I had to guess…" Erza answered readying her blade as Ituha turned to the two, "…She must've noticed the incredible amount of magic energy that seems to be emanating in this castle. I bet that's Taliyah's magic."

"You're kidding me, right?!" Gray demanded, "I mean, I can feel the magic energy, too. But how can all this come from one person?"

At this, Ituha chuckled, drawing the attention of the two. "Oh, you truly don't see how powerful our guild empress is." she warned them, "She is no ordinary mage. Her powers surpass any other mage that exists even in this kingdom. That is why we serve her, and why we will do anything for her. She is the true ruler of demise, and she will dominate this kingdom! And there is nothing you foolish mages can do about it!" Gray and Erza readied themselves to fight this woman, as she started emanating a dark magenta hue of magic energy about her.

At the same time, Leon, Lucy and Sagittarius stood there as Xe stood on a pillar of black water, emanating a dark teal aura, giving a toothy grin as he stated, "Your entire guild, along with those dragons, will soon learn what happens when you mess with our master!"

"We can't hold anything back, Lucy." Leon warned her, "You and I gotta work together to put this guy down, and catch up to the others."

"I'll help out however I can." the Celestial mage answered, looking behind her, "I just hope Kobayashi was able to find a safe place to be at for the moment…"

* * *

Up in the throne room of the guild hall, Kobayashi was tossed forward to the short staircase, where the guild master sat at the highly-decorative chair. "Ow, ow, ow…" she moaned, "My lower back…"

"I have succeeded in my mission, mon impératrice." a shadow of a spindly figure spoke in a french dialect.

"You have done well, Dexter." the woman spoke, standing up from her chair, grabbing her staff as she descended down to Kobayashi, her staff tapping the ground with every step. The otherworldly human massaged her head, then looked up at the woman who approached her.

The person before her was a incredibly well-endowed woman, rivaling that of Tohru's figure. Her eyes were the same color and look as Tohru's, only a slight more intimidating. Her hair was deep blue, flowing all the way down to her waist, ending in lavender tips, with cones at the top that spiraled around her three-pronged horns, which were dark brown. She wore a long, flowing dress that was sleeveless and revealing, dark purple, with a black fringe. It was open down the middle, but a lavender dress was shown underneath, hiding away all the necessary parts of her figure, and she wore a pair of belts crossing her waist. She wore blue gloves that went all the way to her upper arm, purposely shredded at the top, and black leggings that went up to her thighs, the top styled similar to her gloves. The staff she carried was decorative at the top with a dragon head, holding a red jewel in its' mouth.

"So this is the human who was with Tohru when she came to this world." she stated, looking down at her with a slight smirk, "I don't sense any magic from her. How or why my little sister would choose to allow a lowly human be with her is beyond me."

Kobayashi blinked as she echoed, "Sister? What?"

"The dragon, Tohru. She is my younger sister." she explained, "I am Taliyah, the First Daughter of the Emperor of Demise. You should feel honored at my presence."

Kobayashi went wide-eyed in surprise. Tohru never even mentioned that she had an older sister before. Why she never heard of her before, she didn't know. However, she had characteristics that were similar to Tohru and her father.

Taliyah looked up at the other mage in the vicinity and said, "Leave us, Dexter. Go entertain our guests that are coming here."

"Tout de suite! They will never know what hit them!" the man called Dexter stated. His body suddenly stretched out an incredible length, grabbing ahold of the handle that was a long distance away from them, and pulling himself towards it, opening the door and exiting the room. Kobayashi looked startled at the power that he had just displayed. "Is that guy made of rubber?!" she asked herself quietly.

"It's his magical body." Taliyah answered, getting the otherworldly human's attention again, "He is quite useful, as is all of my commanders. But never mind them…" She crouched down, grabbing Kobayashi's cheeks with one hand, drawing her face to meet her's. "Tell me. How are you and Tohru related?"

Kobayashi paused for a second before answering, "Tohru and I are friends. She became my maid."

"Is that so?" the blue-haired woman asked, surprised, then she scoffed, "So not only did she became a friend with a lowly human, she chose to serve under one? And they consider me a disgrace of dragons…"

She turned away as she went back up the stairs as she continued, "I take it Tohru nor anyone else never mentioned that I existed, did they?"

"No, I never even knew that Tohru had an older sister until now." Kobayashi answered, standing back up again.

"That is to be expected. When a dragon is considered a disgrace to their kind, they are never mentioned again." Taliyah scoffed, reaching her chair, but not sitting back down as she turned back to Kobayashi, "I was exiled to this world as punishment for my sin of allowing my kind to be killed when I waged war against the gods. Was Tohru exiled to your world in a similar manner?"

Kobayashi looked up, recalling the best she could. However, she had forgotten most of the details of how they met in the first place. "No, she wasn't exiled. If I remember correctly, she said I saved her life when she came to my world, and became my maid in gratitude for this. I was drunk that night, so I don't remember all the details."

"What kind of scenario is that suppose to be?" Taliyah questioned with a sweat-dropped expression, then she continued, "Well, in any case, she still is a disgrace, and yet she wasn't exiled. How am I, who fought for the Chaos faction to be more superior than the gods, would be sent away while my sister, who became a maid for a human, still be considered the next ruler of Demise?"

She gripped her staff as she gritted her teeth. "What kind of sick joke is this? I am far superior than Tohru in almost every way! My magic is stronger than hers, and so is my intellect and my leadership! I was able to create a guild this strong, and still secretive from the world outside. They will never know what will hit them until it is too late! Soon, chaos and demise will rain down onto this kingdom, and no mage alive will be able to stop us! And yet…" She glared harshly down at Kobayashi, who was slightly scared at the look she was being given, "…My little sister ended up in this world, with another human that she considers 'a friend'. It's like the gods are trying to make fun of me, insulting my position compared to where she is at."

"No, we just came here by accident…" Kobayashi corrected her.

"Silence!" Taliyah barked, slamming the tip of her staff on the ground, creating a magic circle. All of a sudden, a magic circle formed underneath Kobayashi, and she looked down to see streams of flames form all around the edges of the circle, connecting together above her head, forming a cage of flames.

"Let me remind you that I am a powerful dragon underneath this humanly figure." she reminded the human, "I could kill you in an instant if I wanted to. The laws of killing humans and mages in this world do not apply compared to the world you are from. However, considering you are connected to Tohru, I would love to see my little sister humiliated as I hold you hostage in front of her. I might even kill you right in front of her eyes."

In an instant, she appeared right before the frightened Kobayashi as she finished sinisterly, "If she considers you a friend, then I bet that losing you might drive her over the edge. She has always been quick to anger, but easy to defeat in that state. Make no mistake. You, Tohru, and all those other mages that came with you will die on this day. And soon, every human in this kingdom…no, this world, with follow you to the afterlife."

She continued to glare at Kobayashi with a sinister grin and demented eyes. She made no cackle, nor any other sound, but the dreaded silence that followed her threats made her words sink into Kobayashi, making her more afraid than ever. Not even Tohru's father made her this scared, and that was saying something.

* * *

Racing up the stairways that went up a square-shaped tower, Tohru, Kanna and the rest of the Fairy Tail mages continued to run up, drawing closer and closer to the source of the magic power that Taliyah was emanating.

"Tohru, can I ask you something?" Dori asked, "Back when your sister was in your world, who was stronger? You or her?"

"Back then, I was always stronger than her physically." Tohru explained, "Magically-wise, she was always superior in every way."

"I thought so." Dori understood, panting under her breath, "Ever since we approached the guild hall, I could feel the intense amount of magic energy coming from your sister. Comparing that to the magic energy you have, she has you clearly beat."

"So that's why you wanted her not to fight?" Natsu asked Dori.

"Exactly. We need all the magic energy we can to even stand a chance against her." the Crystal mage told them, "I don't want us waste too much of our magic for anything else." At this, she took a stumble as she reached the next flight of stairs, but she caught herself as she and the others came to a halt.

"Sis, I think you're the one who needs to recover your magic, most of all." Palva retorted, "You have been trying to be strong all this time, but I can tell. You still haven't recovered from the Tower of Heaven."

Dori was trying to catch her breath, recalling when she diverted the magic energy of the Tower of Heaven upwards. It took so much of her stamina and magic energy to perform such a task. The fact that she is even able to keep moving so far is a miracle on its own.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Dori panted, "I still have a good amount of my magic back. We have to keep pushing onward if we are to reach Taliyah."

"Non, non, non…" spoke up a voice that echoed all about, startling the team, "No one shall be approaching mon impératrice but mademoiselle Tohru."

"Who is that?!" Palva demanded, looking about.

"I don't know, but something about the voice sounds familiar." Pastry noticed.

Tohru took a sniff, trying to sense where the opponent was at, all the while he was laughing at how they couldn't find him. Finally, he called out, "Yohoo!" Tohru, who heard the voice directly behind her, turned, and was started to see a narrow face with beady eyes and a curly mustache. What was even stranger was the elongated neck that he had, which went all the way up to the staircase above them, where the rest of his body was hanging to.

"'Ello!" he greeted, retracting his neck as Tohru took a swipe at him with claws.

"Great, another creepy guy?!" Happy asked exasperatedly.

"Who the hell are you?!" Natsu demanded.

The man detached himself from the underside of the staircase, extending his legs so his feet touched the stairs the others were at, and his body soon joined them at the team's level. He was taller than the team at his normal stature, and spindly too. He wore a green tuxedo coat and pants with a white undershirt and a black tie. He wore black combat boots, and also wore silver and black-trimmed spiked shoulder and knee-guards.

"Bonjour! I am Monsieur Dexter!" he greeted them, "I congratulate you for reaching this far, but this is as far as you are going to get. Dommage."

"We'll just see about that…" Palva growled, readying her lance.

"Something about this guy sounds familiar." Natsu muttered, wondering where he had heard his voice before.

"Now I remember!" Pastry realized, "He sounds like that Sol guy from the Element Four! The guy that tried to take Lucy!"

"Oh, yeah! Now I remember!" Natsu realized, "That guy was a real creep, too!"

"Oh, ho! So you met Sol, did you not?" he asked, twirling his mustache, "That would be my twin brother. Last I heard, he was defeated by your guild, as well!"

"Yeah. Elfman and Leon took care of him back at that battle against Phantom Lord." Pastry recalled, "He was definitely a tough guy, but only because of his mind games."

"Frère fou ( **Author's Note: French for 'foolish brother'** )! He always thought too much." Dexter sighed, "While he had the mind, I had that and the muscle to overcome my adversaries. I will make sure you all will see my strength in full force! **Bras Fouet!** " His arm suddenly stretched and whipped down at the team, which they avoided, but noticed the damage as his arm broke all the way down the stone flooring.

"For someone so stringy, he has quite the muscles." Tohru noticed, "And how is he able to stretch his body out like that?!"

"He must've magically enhanced his body, much like how Juvia's body is made of water." Dori compared, "This guy can't be underestimated based on appearances. **Crystal Barrage!** " She unleashed a barrage of crystal bullets at Dexter, who leapt up the stairs to avoid getting hit. " **Lacrima Release: Wind!** " Dori barked, unleashing a blast of wind using lacrima in her body, striking the rubber-bodied man and making him brace himself against the force.

"Guys, I can handle things here." Dori told them, "Get moving and take care of Taliyah."

"But you can't fight him on your own! You're too weakened!" Palva reminded her.

"I can stay here…" Kanna requested, drawing the attention of the team, "I'll fight next to her."

Dori blushed at the request, and cooed, "But I don't want to endanger such a cute little girl like you. I couldn't forgive myself for letting someone so adorable be hurt by this guys."

"Wow. Her personality changes whenever she speaks to Kanna." Natsu muttered, as the team gave sweat-dropped expressions.

"Yep, my sis is just too vulnerable to adorable girls like her." Palva sighed.

"Did you forget that Kanna is also a dragon?" Tohru asked, "She can fight him, no problem."

" **Jambe Marteau!** " they heard Dexter shout, and they turned in time to avoid a stretched leg dropping onto them, dealing more damage to the floor.

"We don't have time to argue!" Pastry shouted, "We'll all go on ahead! Dori, Kanna, we'll leave it up to you to handle this guy!" With that, the two cats grabbed their respective Dragon Slayers, and shot them towards the highest floor. Tohru used her incredible strength to leap up after them, breaking the ground as she shove herself up at them.

"Non, non, non! **Bras Ligoter!** " Dexter stretched out his two arms at both Natsu and Palva, entangling them around their feet. They and the cats looked startled as they were suddenly pulled downwards, slamming into the wall on the far side of the room from the rubber man.

"Palva! Natsu!" Dori shouted, as Tohru looked back down at them.

The two Dragon Slayers recovered within the debris as Happy and Pastry looked dazed. "We'll catch up! Go after Taliyah, Tohru!" Natsu shouted. Tohru nodded in response, and reached the top floor, exiting through the hallway that was there.

"Non, non, non!" Dexter retorted Natsu's words, "I shall not allow any of you to reach Impératrice Taliyah. It shall only be her sœur who will confront her. Course, she will only be walking into a doomed situation."

"What do you mean?!" Dori demanded.

"I managed to snag one of her friends. The human who was with all of you."

The news startled the team, as Kanna gasped, "She has Kobayashi?!"

"Mais oui! With her, Mademoiselle Tohru will not be able to do anything." Dexter stated with a fake sad tone, "So sad! She will be helpless as our master will end the life the the Second Daughter of Demise!" Everyone looked worried at this. Tohru cares a lot for Miss Kobayashi, and with her as a hostage for Taliyah, they knew she wouldn't be able to fight back without her life being at risk.

With all three battles going about in the Demise's Monarchy guild happening, and with Tohru heading off alone towards Taliyah and Kobayashi, things were not looking good for the mages and dragons. They had to fight to save their new friend, as well as protect the kingdom from Taliyah's attack.

* * *

 **Sorry for the extended period of time between posts of this story. IRL is a pain, both mentally and physically. I mean, I am dealing with two jobs at once, and I recently took a bad slip on the ice and bruised the bone in my main arm, making it a pain to move or work properly. But after hearing the news that RWBY Chibi, a show I love to my hearts content, suddenly is going on hiatus until June, I felt more determined to entertain people with stories. So here I am, finally with another chapter done.**

 **I know it is more of a setup for battles to come, and the next chapter will mainly involve the three battles that are being set up before the main event, but I want your opinion on each of the villains I developed, all of which are OCs. Xe's appearance, ironically, is based off of all the looks of male Pokémon Swimmers from Gen VI back. I also had to make it so he is a person who wants people to speak as little as possible, but not himself so as to add annoyance. Ituha's appearance is based off of Sheena from Fire Emblem, but with someone who believes people are judging her obese, making her comical, but also dangerous. Dexter was inspired from the idea of 'what would happen if Sol had a twin brother with the powers of Monkey D. Luffy?' Well, here's the answer. And as for Taliyah, having a unknown sister was something I wanted to do, and her look is based off of Brighid from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. There is so much potential from that new 2017 game, that I had to pull some appearance ideas from that.**

 **I will try to post up the next chapter as soon as I can, so leave a reply, tell your friends, and support my work, as well as the work of my good friend, Insane Dominator, who inspired me to write this series after the Contender's series he made.**


End file.
